Covington equity commission outlines Civics 101 pilot, phased Juneteenth and modest budget requests to city council

The Covington Equity, Cultural, and Social Justice (ECSJ) Commission presented its 2026–27 work plan to the Covington City Council during a special joint study session, proposing a family-focused Civics 101 pilot, a phased Juneteenth tradition, a two-year library partnership and modest funding to sustain small community grants and events.

"The purpose of our joint commission is really to go over our commission's 2026 to 2027 work plan," said Janelle Johansen, chair of the ECSJ Commission, opening the presentation. Johansen described four pillars guiding the plan: promote the commission’s mission, celebrate local diversity, facilitate open community dialogue and serve as a liaison to Covington residents and council.

The commission proposed a Civics 101 pilot targeted at fourth- through sixth-graders that would require parents to participate alongside students in a 1.5–2 hour workshop at the Covington Library. The pilot would use a gamified budgeting exercise — 100 "Covington coins" to allocate across a menu totaling 295 points — including a simulated storm midway to teach trade-offs in municipal budgeting. The commission estimated the single-session pilot cost at $435 for supplies, tokens and promotion. "This really kind of acts as a gateway strategy for engaging two different generations," Johansen said.

Councilmembers asked how the commission will measure outcomes. Johansen said the commission plans to field an end-of-session survey to capture participant feedback and suggested including short knowledge questions to test whether participants internalized the material; the commission reported it had received 20 initial survey responses during planning.

The commission also proposed a phased approach to a Juneteenth celebration, beginning with consultation and modest pilots in 2027 — options include an outdoor community movie night with a guest speaker or a library-based storyteller event. The placeholder pilot budget range presented was $550 to $1,200, with the commission recommending fair compensation for participating artists and advisors and an eventual transition of operational responsibility to the Parks Department as the event scales.

Daphne Hernandez, the city’s associate planner, said staffing needs will depend on event scale. "I would estimate, I don't know, 10 hours for each event," Hernandez said, while council members noted larger events could require substantially more staff coordination and suggested Parks & Recreation review operational requirements.

The commission recommended entering a formal two-year rolling partnership with the Covington Library (an interlocal-style agreement the commission and staff described as no-cost) to secure space for programming and to co-host cultural and civic events. City manager Regan Bowling confirmed the arrangement would be structured like an interlocal agreement with King County Library and would not have direct cost to the city.

On social media, the commission asked the city to assume regular posting of a short set of celebratory recognitions (for example, Black History Month, Pride Month, Juneteenth and a consolidated winter holidays post) so that those recognitions continue even when the commission lacks a quorum. Councilmembers and staff agreed the commission should continue to draft and approve content while communications staff would publish city posts; staff offered to circulate drafts in advance so the commission can confirm tone and content.

Finally, the ECSJ asked the council to include ongoing funding for a small grants program and annual event budgets. The commission presented a 2027 budget-request range of $985 to $1,655 plus allocated staff hours and said it would submit formal budget decision cards following the meeting.

The council asked the commission to provide additional detail on staff-hour estimates and evaluation metrics and suggested pragmatic outreach steps to boost survey participation, such as a QR code at community events. The session ended with council agreement to work with staff and the commission to finalize budget requests and partnership details; the joint meeting was adjourned at 6:43 p.m.