Marion City Council moves forward with equity measures

MARION — The Marion City Council has directed city staffers to develop a plan to implement recommendations from the Community Equity Task Force.

“The work of the Community Equity Task Force was long and messy, and there’s a lot to do, but we are pleased to stand behind the recommendations in your packet this evening,” Circe Stumbo, a member of the task force and Marion Alliance for Racial Equity, told council members Thursday night.

“We’re proud to be a part of this decision and look forward to your positive actions.”

The task force recommendations include a review of city hiring practices, funding for more implicit bias training for city staff and police, a review of policing data and reporting, and public education on transparency and accountability.

The task force — with representatives from the Marion Alliance for Racial Equity, the Marion City Council, city staff and Marion Civil Rights Commission — decided to take no position on a police citizens review board until more data is available.

The task force, at its November meeting, pushed to finalize its recommendations to the council before planning begins for the city’s fiscal 2023 budget.

The task force was part of the city’s efforts to become more equitable and welcoming.

The city last January hired a full-time law enforcement liaison in an agreement with Foundation 2 Crisis Services.

The city also spent $1 million earlier this year on a new data software system to keep better records for city departments, including police and fire.

On Thursday night, Mayor Nick AbouAssaly reiterated the task force recommendations are the beginning of a process.

AbouAssaly also is organizing a mayor’s diversity council that will include people of “diverse backgrounds who will work in the community to promote diversity as a strength,” he previously told The Gazette.

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