Number
160445
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. RAINEY, STAMPER, ZIELINSKI, HAMILTON, BAUMAN, LEWIS, BOHL, KOVAC, PEREZ, COGGS AND JOHNSON
Title
A substitute ordinance creating the office of African American affairs.
Sections
375 cr
Analysis
This ordinance creates an office of African American affairs under the supervision of the office of the common council - city clerk which shall be responsible for the administration, coordination and implementation of the city’s policies relating to the special needs of the city’s African American residents.
Body
Whereas, It is the public policy of the City of Milwaukee to ensure equal opportunity for all of its residents; and
Whereas, The City of Milwaukee is the largest and most ethnically diverse city in Wisconsin; and
Whereas, According to U.S. Census Bureau 2014 estimates, the City of Milwaukee is home to 239,856 African Americans, comprising 63.1% of Wisconsin’s African American population and forming the largest minority group in Wisconsin; and
Whereas, According to the City of Milwaukee Health Department, the infant mortality rate for African Americans in Milwaukee is three times higher than that of whites; and
Whereas, Wisconsin ranks last in the nation regarding the overall well-being of African American children based on an index of 12 measures that gauge children’s success from birth to adulthood; and
Whereas, According to the Nation’s Report Card, among the states, Wisconsin is tied with Nebraska for the highest score gap between African American and white students, based on eighth grade math scores; and
Whereas, A report prepared for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction found that the trend of the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concept Examinations over five academic years, from 2008-2013, indicated that the African American-white achievement gap continues to widen for both reading and mathematics; and
Whereas, A University of California-Los Angeles report found that Wisconsin’s kindergarten through grade 12 schools suspend African American high school students at the highest rate nationally and with the second-highest disparity suspension rate between African American and white students; and
Whereas, The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau showed Wisconsin having the highest African American male incarceration rate in the nation, with over half of African American men in their 30s in Milwaukee County having served prison time; and
Whereas, A study by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation revealed that Wisconsin has the highest rate of obesity in African American adults at 45.8 percent; and
Whereas, According to 2013 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, 18% of African Americans age 65 or older live in poverty, compared to 7% of whites age 65 or older; and
Whereas, Forbes Magazine’s March 2011 edition listed the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area as last among 52 cities in the United States for minority entrepreneurship; and
Whereas, A 2012 study by the Manhattan Institute showed that Milwaukee was the most racially segregated city in America; and
Whereas, 24/7 Wall Street in 2015 named the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area as the worst American city for African Americans based on racial disparities in household income, poverty, high school and bachelor’s degree educational attainment rates, homeownership rates, unemployment rates, incarceration rates and mortality rates; and
Whereas, Racial discrimination and institutional racism continue to create barriers to success for African American residents of the City of Milwaukee; and
Whereas, Creation of a City of Milwaukee Office of African American Affairs is integral to recognition and resolution of the City of Milwaukee’s racial inequities for the benefit of all of its residents and for the region to achieve its full potential; now, therefore
The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Milwaukee do ordain as follows:
Part 1. Chapter 375 of the code is created to read:
CHAPTER 375
OFFICE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN AFFAIRS
375-1. Creation. There is created an office of African American affairs in the office of the common council - city clerk which shall be responsible for the administration, coordination and implementation of the city’s policies relating to the special needs of the city’s African American residents.
375-3. Administration. Under the direction of the city clerk, the office of African American affairs shall be administered by a manager.
375-5. Duties. The manager of the office of African American affairs shall:
1. Examine and define issues central to the rights and needs of African American residents of the city.
2. Identify and assess the potential disparate impacts of new budgetary and regulatory initiatives on African American residents of the city.
3. Present recommendations to the common council for changes in existing programs and ordinances that disparately impact African Americans residents of the city.
4. Identify barriers faced by African American residents of the city to existing government resources and services and present recommendations for removing those barriers.
5. Develop and implement policies, plans and programs related to the special needs of African Americans residents of the city.
6. Promote equal opportunities for African American residents of the city with regards to home ownership, business ownership, job creation, job training, health care and education.
7. Promote multiculturalism and full participation by African American residents of the city.
375-7. Cooperation. The manager of the office of African American affairs shall coordinate the activities of the office under this section with any other city departments, boards, commissions and councils that have been tasked with attending to the needs of the city’s African American residents.
375-9. Annual Report. The manager of the office of African American affairs shall submit an annual written report of its activities under this section to the common council and the mayor.
LRB
APPROVED AS TO FORM
____________________________
Legislative Reference Bureau
Date: ______________________
Attorney
IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THE ORDINANCE
IS LEGAL AND ENFORCEABLE
____________________________
Office of the City Attorney
Date: ______________________
Requestor
Drafter
Dana J. Zelazny
LRB164046-2
9/20/2016