Mountlake Terrace staff to finalize DEI strategic plan, prioritize training and community outreach

Mountlake Terrace city staff and consultants updated the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Commission on progress toward a citywide DEI strategic plan and sketched a community outreach timetable at a recent commission meeting.

Consultants from a contracting firm identified gaps in personnel policies, inconsistent application of rules, uneven customer service and a low level of formal DEI training across city departments after a discovery phase that included a staff survey, 16 interviews and a document review. The staff survey went to roughly 130 employees and returned more than 80 responses; consultants reported that roughly 60 percent of survey questions received answers, which they described as a sufficient sample to surface priorities.

The consultants and staff recommended several pragmatic first steps the city can take while longer policy work continues: citywide customer-service training focused on equitable interactions with residents; broader, culturally relevant programming developed with multiple commissions and community partners; a modest ongoing DEI budget with accountability metrics; and steps to increase the share of city contracting awarded to small businesses owned by women and people of color. Commissioners and staff emphasized building long-term community relationships and recruiting community ambassadors to help…