MAYOR: GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A SPECIFIED PURPOSE
City officials claim Parkville’s attention this month to the city’s diversity and inclusion commission is not related to President Donald Trump’s attempts recent order on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Due to the timing, just after the president’s recent executive order, some might have assumed the local discussion was based on changes taking place at the federal level of government, but Mayor Dean Katerndahl told the city’s diversity and inclusion committee at a meeting last week that the city’s newest efforts are aimed at streamlining and better defining the commission’s functions after the group struggled to develop a strategic plan.
The mayor said the defining of the seven-member commission has been hampered by its lack of a specified purpose and added that city officials are attempting to review the functions and parameters of all city boards and commissions.
Katerndahl told the commission at a Feb. 10 meeting that changes to their written purpose will provide “a new direction and hopefully a more focused direction” and are “not in any way a reaction to diversity and inclusion in Washington, D.C.”
Katerndahl praised the group’s efforts, stating he appreciates the members’ time and contributions and added that while the intentions behind the commission’s formation several years ago by the Parkville Board of Aldermen were noble, the group has “struggled to find a concrete agenda” and has been hampered by a vague definition of purpose.
During the meeting, committee members approved a revised strategic plan, which will advance to the board of aldermen for their consideration.
Board chair Mahnaz Shabbir said the group now will mostly function as ad hoc, meaning “when the board (of aldermen) asks us to work on something, we will,” she said. The board of aldermen will determine some projects at the next meeting this week and future meetings, Katerndahl said during a telephone interview after the meeting.
During the interview, Katerndahl said Missouri state statutes specify what functions fourth class cities such as Parkville can legally undertake, and changes to the strategic plan reflect those guidelines.
In addition, the mayor said he has some suggestions for board members to consider, including meeting with residents to explain how they can become involved in city functions, adding that city officials “have a hard time finding somebody to serve” in various capacities.
Katerndahl added that the commission may focus on special events that will bring Parkville’s diverse residents together for celebrations, such as those occurring near holidays, carnivals and farmers’ market type events. The city’s various tourist attractions, especially those that celebrate the city’s diversity, could be better advertised, he said.
Shabbir reminded the group they have been successful in addressing several issues, despite a vague description of purpose: conducted a community survey about historical signs and diversity priorities, created an annual calendar including cultural events, holidays and celebrations, added to the master plan created by the parks commission and drafted a strategic plan.
Katerndahl admitted that, ideally, the commission’s role would have been specified in much more detail from its inception, but city officials are trying to eradicate that problem moving forward.
He told the group, “I know it might seem that your role is being diminished, but it can be whatever you want it to be.”
