Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(DEI)

Host “New Resident Welcome” events twice a year (Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring).
Action Item Responsibility: City of Bexley organizes with support from advocacy groups

Review New Residents Welcome Packet to ensure it does not contain biased or exclusive language, and that it is ‘immigrant-friendly’ and/or multi-lingual. Also review welcome packet, City of Bexley website, and communication materials, including street banners, to ensure visual representation of diversity.
Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff with consultation from diversity professionals

Personally deliver “New Residents Welcome Packets” to new residents and ensure that tenants are included in the distribution strategy and methodology. Ensure landlords and residents with new neighbors cooperate with the City in an effort to welcome new tenants as well as place on the Bexley City website for new tenants to sign up to receive a New Resident Welcome Packet.
Action Item Responsibility: Elected officials, community ambassadors

Conduct Police / Community BBQ Cook-offs, picnics or potlucks throughout the City, including new Schneider Bexley playground, with forums for open conversation about race/bias/transparency to ensure that residents feel comfortable initiating contact with public safety personnel regardless of identity. Include active participation from off-duty officers.
Action Item Responsibility: City of Bexley in partnership with advocacy groups

Publicize information on Police Community Initiatives: Cops with Kids, Coffee with a Cop, Crosswalk with a Cop, Citizens Police Academy, etc. and engage the community in initiatives to educate residents in the reality of policing.
Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff and Police Department

Strengthen communication with the community regarding the police department and their organizational structures, training and activities through newsletters, the website, police staff profiles, tours of police facilities, etc.
Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff and Police Department

Strengthen communication between police and residents with limited English proficiency by providing the use of an approved translator and other instant language tools. Ensure that all police personnel have access to these tools. Establish language access policies, protocols and tools to evaluate success.

• Focus on youth best practices for police training and interaction.
• Utilize the current community forum officer group to collaborate with advocacy groups within the City.

Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff and Police Department

Advertise city events more openly in surrounding communities, and reciprocate by promoting events hosted in surrounding communities to create stronger bonds and common goals.
Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff with area organizations

Continue to encourage the CIC in their efforts to identify affordable housing opportunities for people with low incomes as a part of new development (including but not limited to rezoning and rehabbing current and future buildings and projects) as well as on its own.
Action Item Responsibility: CIC, City Administration, and City Council

Host quarterly roundtables with advocacy groups to provide opportunities for bilateral communication amongst groups and the community.

A ‘One Bexley’ diversity, equity, and inclusion marketing campaign that uses City of Bexley communication mediums, and resources. Banners along Main Street with Bexley residents from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds with “I am Bexley” messaging on the banners.
Action Item Responsibility: Advocacy groups and communications staff with graphic designer

Encourage public and private entities to be mindful of representing diversity in communications concerning the Bexley community.
Action Item Responsibility: Advocacy groups and communications staff

Review existing City of Bexley periodic survey questions and add question(s) to survey that address diversity, equity and inclusion, while ensuring that survey responses incorporate feedback from tenant populations in the community. Provide an annual update to the community about progress in various diversity metrics (State of the City).
Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff

Develop community-focused education and awareness opportunities to help inform residents on how to positively interrupt and educate concerning implicit bias. Conduct workshops and forums on implicit bias and topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure residents feel connected, supported and valued.
Action Item Responsibility: City and advocacy groups

Research and implement best and promising practices to widen the audience for community conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion Conduct periodic diversity, equity and inclusion community forums that promote conversations on topics such as “White Fragility”, Immigration, Restorative Justice Practices, Implicit Bias, etc.
Action Item Responsibility: Advocacy groups

In addition to these action items, the City of Bexley has been working with an independent consultant to study the City's hiring and procurement practices and to make recommendations. This work started in early 2020 and is ongoing.

Work to increase the diversity of city staff and the composition of individuals serving on our City boards, commissions and committees. Perform a hiring practices audit and institute best practices in hiring and retention strategies.
Action Item Responsibility: Mayor, City Council, and Department Heads

Require period implicit bias and empathy training for all city staff and elected and appointed officials.
Action Item Responsibility: Mayor and City Council

Perform a purchasing audit and create policies and procedures to expand the scope of purchasing from minority-owned businesses.
Action Item Responsibility: Mayor and Department Heads

Ensure transparent and accountable complaint review processes and objective fact-finding for incidents of reported police bias. Continue to monitor regional and national best practices for complaint review processes.
Action Item Responsibility: Mayor

Analyze and publish a regular statistics report on police encounters including but not limited to citizen complaints and outcomes; demographic information on traffic stops by gender, race and result; citations versus arrests; calls for service; officer training; officer recruitment and training; etc. Make goals in response to the analysis of those statistics and follow up on those goals.
Action Item Responsibility: City communications staff working with Police Department

Bexley MAA – Bexley Minority Alumni Association

Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce (link)

BARP – Bexley Anti-Racism Project (link)

Bexley DEI – Bexley Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (link)

Bexley LGBTQIA – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, & Asexual (link)

BMPA – Bexley Minority Parent Alliance (link)

BRAIR – Bexley Residents Against Institutional Racism (link)

DARN – Developmental Assets Resource Network (link)

If your advocacy group would like to be added to this list, please email us.