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Tompkins County outlines plan to embed equity across operations; annual indicators and GIS baseline planned
Summary
Chief Equity and Diversity Officer Charlene Holmes presented an adopted report proposing department-level equity indicators, public reporting and a 2025 baseline year; the Legislature was asked to support resource allocation for implementation.
Charlene Holmes, Tompkins County's chief equity and diversity officer, presented the institution- alizing equity report adopted Feb. 18 and described a framework to integrate equity into departmental work plans and county operations. The report calls for department-level "equity indicators," routine data collection, annual public reporting and alignment with the county strategic plan.
"These indicators will be tracked and reported publicly, ensuring transparency and accountability," Holmes said, and she highlighted last year's GIS work that created district-level maps to identify areas with service gaps. Holmes described 2025 as a baseline year for data collection and said more comprehensive analysis and interventions will come in 2026 and beyond. She asked the Legislature to support allocation of resources for implementation and to engage with staff on trainings and feedback opportunities.
Legislators asked about practical uses of the data, timelines and how the Legislature would access reports. Holmes said departments already perform much of the relevant work; the institutionalizing equity report formalizes how to collect, disaggregate and aggregate that information so trends can be tracked over time. Committee chairs and members expressed support and requested more detail on funding and how metrics will inform budgeting and program decisions.
