Mountlake Terrace DEI commission presents revised 'Together We Thrive' plan; council schedules fuller review

Deputy City Manager Carolyn Hope and members of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Commission presented a revised strategic plan titled Together We Thrive and summarized public outreach and proposed changes. The plan reflects outreach conducted Sept. 13–Oct. 3 (an online poll in English and Spanish, translations of key chapters, community conversations and tabling at events). Commissioners Theresa Courtney and Kermit Appeo told the council the online poll received 65 responses and that 18 of 20 recommendations were supported by a majority of respondents.

The presentation described the plan’s goals: to promote an inclusive culture, improve equitable access to city services, support staff training and strengthen community engagement. Commissioners discussed public comments and redline edits that respond to concerns about (1) representation of seniors, (2) gender‑neutral restrooms (cost concerns and phased implementation during remodels/new construction), (3) ancestral land acknowledgements (ongoing consultation with indigenous community members), (4) trauma‑informed engagement (designing welcoming events and training), (5) recruitment and contracting outreach (broadening pools and rosters), and (6) a recommendation to consider term limits for some commissions or boards (explicitly a recommendation for council discussion rather than a directive).

Staff emphasized legal and compliance constraints: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and state/federal disability laws guide language access, translation and accommodation decisions. Hope said the city uses a 5% threshold to prioritize language translation; interpretation is billed hourly and translation by word. The DEI commission’s current annual budget is about $7,500, and staff said the plan itself did not include a major new budget request; staff will build translation and ADA costs into future project budgets as appropriate.

Council members asked detailed implementation questions. On gender‑neutral restrooms, staff said the policy envisions conversion where feasible as part of remodels or new design and noted that city hall already has a single‑user gender‑neutral restroom. On trauma‑informed engagement, staff described tools and training for ambassadors and commissioners to create welcoming spaces and connect people with services rather than attempt clinical interventions. On term limits, several council members expressed concern about losing institutional knowledge and noted volunteers are sometimes hard to recruit; staff said the term‑limits item is a recommendation for council consideration and that examples from other cities could be provided.

The DEI commission voted on Oct. 27 to recommend the plan to the council. Council members asked staff to gather any additional written comments they may have in the next two weeks; the city manager said the item will return to the Nov. 20 meeting as a presentation and discussion so council can debate specific wording and suggested edits publicly. Staff will return a redline and clean version showing any revisions made in response to council feedback.

Quotes in this article are taken from council meeting remarks and staff presentations as recorded on the council transcript.