Wheat Ridge council agrees on phased scope for equity audit after study session

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — Wheat Ridge City Council on Jan. 12 moved toward launching a professional equity audit, agreeing on a phased scope that prioritizes internal organization and baseline data before broader external outreach.

City staff presented the audit as a follow-up to work by the Race and Equity Task Force (appointed in 2021) and the city's IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) Committee. Mary Anne Schilling and Carly Seba framed the audit as four parts: an evaluation of policies and practices, public engagement, a written report and final recommendations. Seba said the audit would examine city handbooks, decision-making processes, communications, staffing demographics and program funding and produce baseline metrics for monitoring progress.

Why it matters: Councilors said they want actionable, measurable results that the city can implement without duplicating the volunteer task force’s prior work. Several members urged a phased approach to limit upfront cost and staff burden while ensuring internal changes can be tracked over time.

What the council decided: After extended questions about scope, timeline and how to capture voices that don’t normally participate in city outreach, councilors reached consensus on six initial focus areas for a Phase 1 audit: city policies, practices and training; organizational structure; protocols; internal and external communications; city staff demographics (benchmarked to community demographics); and community engagement. Staff will take that guidance and return with a proposed contract and any required budget supplemental.

Details and context: Presenters said some work arising from the Race and Equity Task Force has already been implemented — examples include joining the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), ADA website improvements and changes to some municipal processes — but staff emphasized the audit would provide externally validated baseline data and recommended metrics. Seba said a prior audit she participated in took about four months to gather data and report, while other municipal efforts can take up to a year depending on scope.

Questions raised included whether to begin internally and then expand external outreach, how to recruit underrepresented voices safely and anonymously, the degree of overlap with prior volunteer recommendations, and the capacity of the city’s staff to carry out additional implementation work. Several councilors recommended an internal-first Phase 1 with Phase 2 to expand community engagement and accessibility considerations later.

Next steps: Staff will refine the scope consistent with the council’s six focus areas and return with a draft contract, estimated cost and timing. Funding for an initial consultant and any supplemental budget would require council approval.

Quotes: “Is this something this group is interested in moving forward with?” Mary Anne Schilling asked councilors as staff sought direction. Councilors agreed the city needs baseline metrics and data to make targeted changes.

The special study session concluded with staff instructed to return with a contract and budget estimate reflecting the council’s consensus.