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| | | | This will be a virtual meeting conducted via GoToMeeting. Should you wish to join this meeting from your phone, tablet, or computer you may go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/454344005. You can also dial in using your phone United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 and Access Code: 454-344-005. | | | |
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| | | | Also present:
Minutes note: Alex Highley, Legislative Reference Bureau
Bernadette Karanja, Common Council - City Clerk's Office Workforce Development Division | | | |
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| | 3. | | Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes.
Minutes note: The meeting minutes from September 8, 2020 were approved without objection. | | | |
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| | 4. | | Assessment, analysis, and setting of priority goals, objectives, outcomes, and recommendations.
Minutes note: A. Task force priorities
Chair Ellison said for members to discuss further infrastructure, streets and transportation followed by education and other priority items.
1.) Infrastructure, streets, and transportation
Members considered written recommendations from a group of interested advocates, including some DPW staff, but not exclusively, as follows:
Near-Term:
1. Explicitly state that the City aims to reduce automobile trips, and ensure all policies, designs, decisions, ordinances, etc reflect this goal (zoning code, parking requirements, parking pricing, etc). Specific to DPW - mandate safety, comfort, and access for all users over speed and capacity in all street design projects - this will immediately reduce speeding and increase trips made by walking, biking, and transit.
2. Become a member of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and adopt all NACTO street design guidelines - NACTO is leading the national conversation on making city streets more equitable, safer, sustainable, and more vibrant. 81 cities and transit agencies throughout North America are NACTO members - Milwaukee is falling behind its peers.
3. Support the efforts of the Equal Rights Commission and the Health Department to ensure all actions impacting the ROW comply with the City's Achieving Racial Equity Resolution.
Long-Term:
1. Reorganize / abolish DPW to create a modern transportation agency that is tasked with addressing equity, climate change, safety, economic development, mobility, mode shift, quality of life, etc. In concert with this effort, a new strategic plan should be developed that identifies a vision, goals, and meaningful next steps towards implementation.
2. Commit to Vision Zero - the elimination of serious injury and death caused by traffic violence. This will create a safer, healthier, and more equitable city.
3. Develop and propose a well-researched, widely supported, and sustainable funding source to generate local revenue for transportation; including maintenance, transit improvements, mobility improvements, streetscape improvements etc. This must be a transparent process with wide support that is explicit on where funds will be used.
Members and staff discussed supporting all the recommendations, supporting only the reorganization and not abolishment of DPW; exploring further how to reorganize DPW before supporting its reorganization; that DPW reorganization is a bold move that may best create real change; that current DPW structure may be outdated and a barrier to success; that DPW has 4 main divisions with many subdivisions within those divisions; that Milwaukee is not a member of NACTO; that there should also be consideration of different age groups, racial equity, and the City's narrative; that there should be a priority to invest in disadvantaged neighborhoods to improve transportation and streets there; that the Sherman Phoenix site (Fond du Lac Ave. and 35th St.) is an example; that DPW town hall meetings should ask Millennials for input; that DPW has a process and schedule to evaluate streets for total reconstruction (30-year cycle) or for high impact paving; that implementation of Complete Streets depend on costs and the physical space of a street; and that there are ways to adjust, alter, or reduce projects in order to implement Complete Streets in some fashion.
Member Noel Kegel moved that the task force pursue the near-term and long-term recommendations, except the abolishment of DPW, and prioritizing disadvantaged neighborhoods as potential committee recommendations. Member Gabornitz seconded. There was no objection.
Member Noel Kegel added that he could assemble additional information and resources.
2.) Education
Chair Ellison said that the task force should acquire data on Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) high school students or having MPS come before the committee.
Member Fojut said that 14% of MPS students go on to college and that there is further data on MPS students going to college.
Member Gabornitz said that perhaps All-In Milwaukee can come before the task force, that it is a nonprofit organization assisting low-income students to address barriers (college tuition, mentorships, internships) for them, and that 8% of students of color graduate.
3.) Other
Ms. Karanja said that the Common Council had passed social responsibility legislation to offer incentives to hire people of color and that there should be social responsibility measures taken for big corporations to increase training, internships, and access to people of color.
Member Hostad said he's a part of a tech hub talent consortium of 59 nonprofit organizations in the City striving to share resources, bridge gaps, and build metrics for young people; that there is no spokesperson; that he can be a liaison to obtain data and information from the consortium; and that the corporate community should have better presence.
Chair Ellison said that the task force should learn more about the City's Earn and Learn program and that perhaps Big Step/WRTP can appear before the task force regarding apprenticeships.
Members further discussed that the task force should also separately focus on housing and the workplace as next priority items, converse with young developers such as those from the ACRE program, that there should be support for the Convent Hill 32-story mixed-income apartment tower project from the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM); and that private developers may find issue with HACM's project.
B. Reasons Millennials and Generation Z leave or stay in Milwaukee
Member Fojut said that if granted permission and once completed he would like to bring to the committee results from an exit survey regarding employees leaving large companies in Milwaukee, that most of those surveyed said they would not return to Milwaukee, that issues for those leaving include the archaic nature of large companies and segregation in the City, that all ages including Millennials were surveyed, that the survey's intent was to build profiles and target markets, and that people without much experience of the City are more willing to come and stay in the City.
C. Review of Common Council legislation, existing programs, or initiatives
The task force had discussed or mentioned about the City's Earn and Learn program, social responsibility legislation, and Complete Streets policy in earlier discussions.
D. Any research, speaker, or presentation requests?
The task force had discussed, mentioned, or inquired in earlier discussions about further research and/or presentation on DPW internal staff recommendations, NATCO, MPS and MPS high school students, All-In Milwaukee, tech hub consortium, Earn and Learn program, Big Step/WRTP, social responsibility legislation, exit survey of employees leaving large companies in Milwaukee, ACRE program, and HACM's Convent Hill project.
As requested by members, Mr. Highley said that he will do research on the City's Earn and Learn program, MPS student surveys, Common Council's authority on restructuring City departments, peer city programs to combat segregation (i.e. Cincinnati), and data on college student enrollment, migration, in-state/out-of-state numbers, and reasons for enrolling into their schools.
E. Other
There was no other discussion. | | | |
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| | 5. | | Next steps moving forward.
Minutes note: A. Task force meeting schedule and structure
Remain meeting every 2-3 weeks focusing on a priority item each time.
B. Agenda items for the next meeting(s)
To be determined. Items may include priority items of education, apprenticeships, housing, and the workplace.
C. Set next meeting date(s) and time(s).
To be determined for the end of October.
D. Other
There was no other discussion. | | | |
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| | 6. | | Adjournment.
Minutes note: The meeting adjourned at 9:28 a.m.
Chris Lee, Staff Assistant
Council Records Section
City Clerk's Office | | | |
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| | | | Meeting materials from past and present meetings can be found within the following file: | | | |
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