| INDIGENOUS COMMISSION VIRTUAL TEAMS REGULAR MEETING 211 WEST ASPEN AVENUE WEDNESDAY,11:00 A.M., JUNE 1, 2022 |
1.
Call to Order
Co-chair Washington called the meeting to order at 11:21 PM.
Co-chair Washington called the meeting to order at 11:21 PM.
2.
Roll Call
Others present: Rose Toehe, Staff Liaison; Erin Young, Water Services, presenter; Sara Dechter, Community Development, presenter; Jenna Ortega, Sustainability; DeAnn Wegwert, CODA; Greg Clifton, City Manager.
| NOTE: One or more Commission Members may be in attendance telephonically or by other technological means. |
| Diana Cudeii, Ex-Officio; Absent Dorothy D. Gishie, Ex-Officio; Absent Meg Kabotie Adakai, E-Officio; Present, joined later Cora M. Phillips, Co-Chair; Present Joe. W. Washington, Co-Chair; Present Darrell Marks; Present Fawn Toya; Present Kiara Weathersby; Excused Absence Shawna Whitehat; Excused Absence (texted at 11:51 AM) Jonathan Yellowhair; Present, joined later |
Others present: Rose Toehe, Staff Liaison; Erin Young, Water Services, presenter; Sara Dechter, Community Development, presenter; Jenna Ortega, Sustainability; DeAnn Wegwert, CODA; Greg Clifton, City Manager.
A.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Flagstaff City Council humbly acknowledges the ancestral homelands of this area’s Indigenous nations and original stewards. These lands, still inhabited by Native descendants, border mountains sacred to Indigenous peoples. We honor them, their legacies, their traditions, and their continued contributions. We celebrate their past, present, and future generations who will forever know this place as home.
3.
Public Comment
At this time, any member of the public may address the Commission on any subject within their jurisdiction that is not scheduled before the Commission on that day. Due to Open Meeting Laws, the Commission cannot discuss or act on items presented during this portion of the agenda. To address the Commission on an item that is on the agenda, please wait for the Chair to call for Public Comment at the time the item is heard. (Five minutes maximum per speaker)
None.
At this time, any member of the public may address the Commission on any subject within their jurisdiction that is not scheduled before the Commission on that day. Due to Open Meeting Laws, the Commission cannot discuss or act on items presented during this portion of the agenda. To address the Commission on an item that is on the agenda, please wait for the Chair to call for Public Comment at the time the item is heard. (Five minutes maximum per speaker)
None.
4.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A.
Approval of Minutes for April 6, 2022
Motion to approve Minutes as is or approve with amendments.
Co-Chair Washington made a motion to approve the Minutes as is. Commissioner Toya seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion to approve Minutes as is or approve with amendments.
Co-Chair Washington made a motion to approve the Minutes as is. Commissioner Toya seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
5.
DISCUSSION ITEMS AND POSSIBLE DECISION
A.
Water Services Invitation and Update
Ms. Erin Young, Water Resources Manager, will provide a short presentation on the following:
Ms. Young continued with update on Reclaimed Water policy. Two years ago, the Community Stakeholder Committee on reclaimed water was Water Services' first attempt at revisiting reclaimed water policy. Water Services has a water policy and a city code that determines how reclaimed water agreements are issued. There is a need to launch a phase two effort. Water Services has had a lot of turnover with essential staff positions that need to be part of those efforts, including the Director and Engineering Manager. The Water Commission will be the focal point of developing a scope of work and how the community provides input. As that gets developed, Ms. Young will keep the Indigenous Commission and other city commissions informed on the timeline.
There were some questions from the Commissioners. Commissioner Marks asked on growth in Flagstaff regarding water use/projected use and dramatic changes. Ms. Young said, there is a staggering sort of change in water demand and will be part of the Regional Plan effort and plan for water demand to meet the needs of the voter approved Regional Plan. So there will be a lot of discussion around that. There has not been any new reclaimed water agreements; however, there is a Water Smart grant that will hopefully provide funds for aquifer recharge and recovery. Co-chair Washington asked a question on who makes a decision to sell reclaimed water to other entities and he understood that Council made that a staff function. Does the Council ratify or approve that or whether the staff can simply make the agreements? Is that correct? Ms. Young answered, yes, the authority to issue new reclaimed water agreements does lie with the Water Services Director and that conversation occurred a couple years ago with City Council for Council to to take that on. Council ultimately voted not to change it at that time. There is an outstanding fare item on this topic. She also suggested if the Indigenous Commission would like to see that on Council agenda, maybe making a recommendation for that to be on Council agenda, or perhaps for the Water Commission to also provide their thoughts on that topic. With that suggestion, Commissioner Toya stated she strongly believed the Commission should request that this be brought up and find a new way to engage the subject. Commissioner Toya made a motion to have this subject be addressed to City Council and bring this matter back to the table if possible. It was seconded by Commissioner Marks. Motion passed. Ms. Young stated she would follow up with City Manager Clifton. Ms. Toehe suggested they meet with City Manager together.
Ms. Erin Young, Water Resources Manager, will provide a short presentation on the following:
- Invitation for a tour of the Reclaimed Water Facility
- Update on the Reclaimed Water Policy and the status of the workgroup
- There will be few minutes for discussion
Ms. Young continued with update on Reclaimed Water policy. Two years ago, the Community Stakeholder Committee on reclaimed water was Water Services' first attempt at revisiting reclaimed water policy. Water Services has a water policy and a city code that determines how reclaimed water agreements are issued. There is a need to launch a phase two effort. Water Services has had a lot of turnover with essential staff positions that need to be part of those efforts, including the Director and Engineering Manager. The Water Commission will be the focal point of developing a scope of work and how the community provides input. As that gets developed, Ms. Young will keep the Indigenous Commission and other city commissions informed on the timeline.
There were some questions from the Commissioners. Commissioner Marks asked on growth in Flagstaff regarding water use/projected use and dramatic changes. Ms. Young said, there is a staggering sort of change in water demand and will be part of the Regional Plan effort and plan for water demand to meet the needs of the voter approved Regional Plan. So there will be a lot of discussion around that. There has not been any new reclaimed water agreements; however, there is a Water Smart grant that will hopefully provide funds for aquifer recharge and recovery. Co-chair Washington asked a question on who makes a decision to sell reclaimed water to other entities and he understood that Council made that a staff function. Does the Council ratify or approve that or whether the staff can simply make the agreements? Is that correct? Ms. Young answered, yes, the authority to issue new reclaimed water agreements does lie with the Water Services Director and that conversation occurred a couple years ago with City Council for Council to to take that on. Council ultimately voted not to change it at that time. There is an outstanding fare item on this topic. She also suggested if the Indigenous Commission would like to see that on Council agenda, maybe making a recommendation for that to be on Council agenda, or perhaps for the Water Commission to also provide their thoughts on that topic. With that suggestion, Commissioner Toya stated she strongly believed the Commission should request that this be brought up and find a new way to engage the subject. Commissioner Toya made a motion to have this subject be addressed to City Council and bring this matter back to the table if possible. It was seconded by Commissioner Marks. Motion passed. Ms. Young stated she would follow up with City Manager Clifton. Ms. Toehe suggested they meet with City Manager together.
B.
Flagstaff Regional Plan - Second Visit
The project team from Community Development including Ms. Sara Dechter, Comprehensive & Neighborhood Planning Manager, will provide a presentation involving discussion on the Flagstaff Regional Plan and Commissioners hands-on involvement with activities involving this process. This information can be found on the attachment associated with this agenda item.
Ms. Dechter introduced herself and recalled an April presentation to this Commission on the Regional Plan. She talked about what it is and why they would like the Commissions' input and to bring back the exercise that was discussed at the last presentation. She also went through the digital white board and invited the commissioners to add comments. This is part of the brainstorming process to include your ideas. What was covered the last time was that the plan is sparse on its discussion of Indigenous community members and the City's relationships with the Indigenous communities that surround Flagstaff. There's a need to add those viewpoints. The focus now is on strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the current plan. What are the inputs that evolve and how that can be adopted into the plan for the voters to approve. It's about the need to create an inclusive and comprehensive vision for our community.
There will also be components of water, transportation, land use, natural resources, parks, open space, etc. Some of this process is also about bringing together data from the County about surrounding areas of Bellemont, Fort Valley, Doney Park, Mountainaire, and Kachina Village. That conversation will start with workshops in the fall. After gathering all the values, attitudes, and the needed data, the City will come up with a first phase. There was also a discussion with City Council regarding the collaborative process and what that could look like, including funding in the next fiscal year. Recruitment of community member with experience in facilitating collaborative services and that pursues compensation for participants, which is an equity emerging practice in urban planning. We want to understand how a compensation policy could help overcome barriers to participation. So if the Indigenous members of our community want to be involved in discussing or even be involved in helping set up the collaborative process, please reach out to Ms. Dechter.
There was a lot of discussion back and forth regarding the process, barriers, current status of Indigenous community members, including youth and elder voices, and outreach in general. Survey questions are important too, are they culturally based. Community needs to recognize through community building that participation is important, not there to just extract information. For more in depth information, visit the City website regarding the Regional Plan and surveys attached to this process.
The project team from Community Development including Ms. Sara Dechter, Comprehensive & Neighborhood Planning Manager, will provide a presentation involving discussion on the Flagstaff Regional Plan and Commissioners hands-on involvement with activities involving this process. This information can be found on the attachment associated with this agenda item.
Ms. Dechter introduced herself and recalled an April presentation to this Commission on the Regional Plan. She talked about what it is and why they would like the Commissions' input and to bring back the exercise that was discussed at the last presentation. She also went through the digital white board and invited the commissioners to add comments. This is part of the brainstorming process to include your ideas. What was covered the last time was that the plan is sparse on its discussion of Indigenous community members and the City's relationships with the Indigenous communities that surround Flagstaff. There's a need to add those viewpoints. The focus now is on strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the current plan. What are the inputs that evolve and how that can be adopted into the plan for the voters to approve. It's about the need to create an inclusive and comprehensive vision for our community.
There will also be components of water, transportation, land use, natural resources, parks, open space, etc. Some of this process is also about bringing together data from the County about surrounding areas of Bellemont, Fort Valley, Doney Park, Mountainaire, and Kachina Village. That conversation will start with workshops in the fall. After gathering all the values, attitudes, and the needed data, the City will come up with a first phase. There was also a discussion with City Council regarding the collaborative process and what that could look like, including funding in the next fiscal year. Recruitment of community member with experience in facilitating collaborative services and that pursues compensation for participants, which is an equity emerging practice in urban planning. We want to understand how a compensation policy could help overcome barriers to participation. So if the Indigenous members of our community want to be involved in discussing or even be involved in helping set up the collaborative process, please reach out to Ms. Dechter.
There was a lot of discussion back and forth regarding the process, barriers, current status of Indigenous community members, including youth and elder voices, and outreach in general. Survey questions are important too, are they culturally based. Community needs to recognize through community building that participation is important, not there to just extract information. For more in depth information, visit the City website regarding the Regional Plan and surveys attached to this process.
6.
GENERAL BUSINESS AND POSSIBLE DECISION
A.
National Navajo Code Talker Day, Indigenous Peoples Day and Native American Heritage Month
Ms. Toehe, Staff Liaison, will provide information on the following:
Ms. Toehe, Staff Liaison, will provide information on the following:
- National Navajo Code Talker Day on Sunday, August 14, 2022
- Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, October 10, 2022 and
- Native American Heritage Month in November 2022.
B.
Commissioner Resignation
Informational item to the Commission, details will be provided by Ms. Toehe. Commissioner Dorothy D. Gishie turned in her resignation on May 12, 2022.
Ms. Toehe stated that Commissioner Dorothy Gishie had submitted her resignation on May 12, 2022. That position is an ex-officio position as it's part of the County's Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council (IPAC). The MOU with the County is that the Indigenous Commission will have three ex-officio members that serve on IPAC. The individuals also have to live outside of city limits and enrolled in a federally recognized or state recognized Indigenous nation. Currently, there is no one on IPAC who fits that criteria, so recruitment has to be done by IPAC. This means it may take a several months to complete due to recruitment, the application process, getting on Board of Supervisors' (BOS) agenda, getting appointed by BOS, and finally applying to the Indigenous Commission & getting appointed by City Council at a Council meeting.
Informational item to the Commission, details will be provided by Ms. Toehe. Commissioner Dorothy D. Gishie turned in her resignation on May 12, 2022.
Ms. Toehe stated that Commissioner Dorothy Gishie had submitted her resignation on May 12, 2022. That position is an ex-officio position as it's part of the County's Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council (IPAC). The MOU with the County is that the Indigenous Commission will have three ex-officio members that serve on IPAC. The individuals also have to live outside of city limits and enrolled in a federally recognized or state recognized Indigenous nation. Currently, there is no one on IPAC who fits that criteria, so recruitment has to be done by IPAC. This means it may take a several months to complete due to recruitment, the application process, getting on Board of Supervisors' (BOS) agenda, getting appointed by BOS, and finally applying to the Indigenous Commission & getting appointed by City Council at a Council meeting.
C.
Possible Change in Start Time of Indigenous Commission Meetings
The Indigenous Commission currently has two members who are not able to join the meeting until 12:00 PM. After input from all Commissioners, decide if it would be advantageous to the Commission to change the start time from 11:00 AM to 1200 PM.
This topic is on the agenda because there are currently two Commissioners who cannot join the meeting until an hour later. It would be beneficial to give them some time to hear from them and if the situation is still the same. Hopefully, this will not interfere with other Commissioners who have to be off at 1:00 o'clock. From the last poll, it seemed most were flexible; however, a discussion would be appropriate to do. Time was given to Commissioners Yellowhair and Kabotie Adakai to speak to this situation. Commissioner Kabotie Adakai stated that for the summer, she is able to join at 11:00am or close to that time; however, in August her schedule will return back to the way it was, when she is not able to join until 12:00pm. Commissioner Yellowhair stated he had talked with his supervisor and he is not able to change the schedule he has for group supervision. As a therapist under an associate license, he has to have supervision for two years in order to get fully licensed and part of that is group dynamic supervision. This is scheduled every Wednesday at 11:00am with the entire Behavioral Health Unit.
After discussion, it was decided that a poll will be taken with the Commissioners who were absent and to vote on the change if supported at the next meeting. Commissioner Toya made a motion to hold the next meeting at 12:00pm. Co-chair Washington seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
The Indigenous Commission currently has two members who are not able to join the meeting until 12:00 PM. After input from all Commissioners, decide if it would be advantageous to the Commission to change the start time from 11:00 AM to 1200 PM.
This topic is on the agenda because there are currently two Commissioners who cannot join the meeting until an hour later. It would be beneficial to give them some time to hear from them and if the situation is still the same. Hopefully, this will not interfere with other Commissioners who have to be off at 1:00 o'clock. From the last poll, it seemed most were flexible; however, a discussion would be appropriate to do. Time was given to Commissioners Yellowhair and Kabotie Adakai to speak to this situation. Commissioner Kabotie Adakai stated that for the summer, she is able to join at 11:00am or close to that time; however, in August her schedule will return back to the way it was, when she is not able to join until 12:00pm. Commissioner Yellowhair stated he had talked with his supervisor and he is not able to change the schedule he has for group supervision. As a therapist under an associate license, he has to have supervision for two years in order to get fully licensed and part of that is group dynamic supervision. This is scheduled every Wednesday at 11:00am with the entire Behavioral Health Unit.
After discussion, it was decided that a poll will be taken with the Commissioners who were absent and to vote on the change if supported at the next meeting. Commissioner Toya made a motion to hold the next meeting at 12:00pm. Co-chair Washington seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
7.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS TO/FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS, STAFF, AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEM REQUESTS
Commissioner Toya thanked the Commissioners who helped to prepare the City Council presentation. She felt Commissioner Weathersby took on a lot on the Commission's behalf in dedicating her time, data, and work into the report. Commissioner Wegwert from CODA introduced herself. She is interested in issues that the Indigenous Commission is considering and wanted to listen in.
Commissioner Toya thanked the Commissioners who helped to prepare the City Council presentation. She felt Commissioner Weathersby took on a lot on the Commission's behalf in dedicating her time, data, and work into the report. Commissioner Wegwert from CODA introduced herself. She is interested in issues that the Indigenous Commission is considering and wanted to listen in.
8.
ADJOURNMENT
Co-chair Washington adjourned the meeting at 12:37 PM.
Co-chair Washington adjourned the meeting at 12:37 PM.