Spokane Office of Civil Rights outlines ADA, language-access and equity priorities; administration reviewing Keep Washington Working resolution

Julien of the city’s Office of Civil Rights briefed the Finance & Administration Committee on 2024 work and the office’s 2025 priorities, including ADA compliance updates, a language-access toolkit, community engagement committees and an equity reporting dashboard.

Julien said the ADA transition plan was transferred into the office in 2024 and that staff completed review and updates that "put us in compliance with federal and state law." He told council the updated review helps avoid potential grant losses and said the work will continue in 2025 with external and internal work groups and a planned staff training program in 2026.

On language access, Julien said the office produced a draft language-access toolkit and is forming an internal work group to finalize the toolkit and to create a training menu for city staff. He said departments including planning and fire have created policies and that the police department recently had Miranda-rights cards translated into multiple languages. The office is drafting a job description for a language-access coordinator and said it will pursue remaining ARPA funds to support the post.

Other 2024 work the presenter listed included a draft tribal and community engagement approach, a hate-incident hotline pilot, a Title VI update and reporting, an analysis of city contracting and supply-diversity data, and creation of a community engagement toolkit and a website presence for the office.

Planned 2025 work includes citywide surveys to inform strategic planning; forming identity-based community advisory groups (Native American, Hispanic/Latinx, immigrant/refugee, LGBTQ+, Black, Marshallese/Pacific Islander, religious communities); a racial-disparate impacts analysis in partnership with planning; recruitment and retention work with civil service, police and fire; development of an equity reporting dashboard with month-by-month metrics; and an internal training schedule covering ADA, Title VI and language access.

On the draft Keep Washington Working resolution, Julien said the office has "received the resolution from Councilwoman Navarrete, and we're currently reviewing it in partnership with legal and with Adam McDaniel, the mayor's policy adviser, to really get a clear understanding of all the legalities that exist out there." Council members asked whether the resolution’s intent was to reaffirm the state law, to require reporting, or to require new training. Administration and council discussed that the city must clarify the reporting mechanism the resolution would establish and whether additional training has been provided since the law passed in 2019.

Committee members asked about retroactive ADA obligations, translation of court and city forms, Marshallese-language access and how language access signage could be added to City Hall. Julien and councilors agreed the office would continue forming community groups and return with more specifics on training, implementation and any resource requests.