Peoria Standard

Peoria County Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity met July 31.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

MEETING OF CO-CHAIRS AND WORKING GROUPS

Members Present:

x Timothy Bertschy, Co-Chair

   Andre Allen, City Council Liaison

   Angela Bolden

x Nick Firmand

x Tonya Fant

x Cindy Loos

   Danny McCloud

   Eric Burns

x Tom Pelger

   Anu

   Julia Issa-Ghantous

   Jim Johnson

x Mary Peterson, Co-Chair

   Heather McMeekin

x Theresa Koehler

x Cecilia Eldahhad

x Peter Avery

x Mike Kennedy

   Angela Young

x Brittany Graves

   Scott Sorrel, County Ex-Officio

   Patrick Urich, City Ex-Officio

Others Present:

x Nicholis Cole-Hall

   Melodi Green, City of Peoria Liaison

1. Call to Order

• Co-Chair Bertschy called the meeting to order at 6:07 pm.

• Introductions

2. Discussion (30 minutes)

• New Member Orientation/Onboarding –Co-Chair Peterson explained the new member orientation and onboarding process. Orientation meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month at 5:30 PM via Zoom. A member of the orientation committee will email Co-Chairs and new members with their working group assignments. Tom Pelger raised concerns about working group members who attend meetings but do not actively participate or contribute. Co-Chair Bertschy suggested referring to the member guidelines.

• Recruitment Efforts- Co-Chair Peterson addressed the lack of Latinx representation in the Commission. The Steering Committee contacted Christell Frausto from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to assist with Latinx recruitment, and she has since joined the committee. Additionally, the Steering Committee met with Felicia Durr, CEO of Tri County Urban League, to collaborate on recruitment efforts. Nicholis Cole-Hall suggested engaging with the Tri-County Urban League Young Professionals for further recruitment support.

• Verify Rosters- Co-Chair Bertschy requested an analysis of your working groups to determine the number of active members and report the findings to Peter Avery. Avery emphasized the importance of including racial demographic data in the report to ensure compliance with the commission's diversity requirements. Both Nicholis Cole-Hall and Avery suggested designating a County or City representative to manage documents and important information for each working group.

• Newsletter- Co-Chair Bertschy discussed the newsletter's purpose and asked Co-Chairs to confirm receipt of it, updating Peter Avery with correct email addresses if necessary. Co-Chairs should also send newsletter content to Peter Avery. The newsletter will be distributed monthly.

• Community Engagement Forums (Upcoming)- Co-Chair Bertschy discussed the past two community forums. The next community forum will be moved to the county in Bartonville, at Alpha Park Library on September 17th at 5:30pm.

• City/County Liaison – Co-Chair Peterson announced that each working group will have a City or County staff member as a liaison, with expertise relevant to the group's subject matter. These liaisons will assist the working groups and provide access to necessary resources.

3. Informational Items and Reports

• Workgroup Projects/Progress

o Economic Development and Jobs- Co-Chair Tom Pelger discussed their Transportation Assistance Pilot program. 30 participants currently participating in the pilot, 50 participants are the goal. They have two internal groups: Up Scaling and Monitoring. Second initiative is minority business development and hosting a yearly Expo.

o Child and Youth Development- Co-Chair Tonya discussed the rejuvenation of this working group and are now focused on Preschool and kindergarten readiness. Filling in the gaps for students that don’t pass the PPS kindergarten readiness test. One focus right now is finding funding, particularly for a audiobook that teaches ABC’s, sounds, numbers, etc. for children who fall in the gaps.

o Environment & Climate- Co-Co-Chair Nick Firmand and Cecilia Elhadad discussed their next focus beyond the CO2 pipeline, concentrating on the number of green spaces in Peoria's south side. A survey will be distributed to community stakeholders to gather feedback on the importance of green spaces. Additionally, they are researching utility assistance in public housing developments during extreme heat. Co-Chair Bertschy praised the working group for their efforts on the Distillery TIF wording for the City of Peoria.

o Transportation - Cindy Loos discussed identifying the transportation issues facing our communities and establishing actionable items to address them.

o Health and Human Services- Mike Kennedy discussed rejuvenating the working group now that both Co-Chairs have left their roles.

o Information Technology- Theresa Koehler discussed Digital Equity Grant they were granted, that will provide broadband to individuals in Peoria County

o Quality Housing- Nicholas Cole-Hall discussed Homelessness Band and how to present to the City Council on the racial ramifications of the band. They are also working on landlord transparency and behaviors, as well as researching inclusionary zoning.

o Justice- Co-Chair Bertschy discussed the reestablishment of Youth Treatment Court, Juvenile Justice Council, and complete surveying of all youth violence prevention programs that already exist in Peoria City/County.

• Workgroup Co-Chairs Meeting Schedule- Next Co-Chair meeting will be October 24th at 6 pm at United Presbyterian Church.

4. Recommendations- None at this time

5. New Business

6. Adjournment

• The Co-Chairs adjourned the meeting at 8:14 pm

https://www.peoriacounty.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07312024-1641