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Mounds View City Council August 24, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 2 7. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 1 2 None. 3 4 8. COUNCIL BUSINESS 5 A. Updating the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in the City’s Personnel 6 Manual. 7 8 Human Resources Coordinator Ewald requested the Council adopt a Resolution which would 9 update the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in the City’s Personnel Manual by removing 10 the reference to an affirmative action plan. 11 12 Mayor Mueller asked if this was a simple housekeeping matter. Human Resources Coordinator 13 Ewald reported this was the case. 14 15 MOTION/SECOND: Hull/Gunn. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9297, 16 Approving an Update to the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in the City’s Personnel 17 Manual. 18 19 Council Member Bergeron recommended the Council table action on this item for the time being 20 because the City would not be sending the right message and the Council’s actions may be 21 misconstrued. 22 23 Council Member Meehlhause requested further direction regarding the action before the City 24 Council. City Attorney Allsot explained from a legal perspective the City has no legal obligation 25 to have an affirmative action plan in place. He reported the affirmative action policy has 26 numerous requirements and the City would be streamlining its hiring processes if this policy 27 were removed from the Personnel Manual. He explained there were still protections within the 28 policy to protect minorities. 29 30 Council Member Meehlhause questioned if an affirmative action policy would have to be 31 reimplemented if the City were to have a contract with the State. City Attorney Allsot stated this 32 was the case. He indicated it was not difficult to put this type of policy in place. 33 34 Council Member Hull inquired how long this language has been included in the City’s Personnel 35 Manual. City Administrator Zikmund estimated this language has been included for the past 12 36 or 13 years. He commented further on how the City has been working to find gender and ethnic 37 diversity within City staff. 38 39 Council Member Bergeron commented one of the benefits of having an affirmative action plan 40 was to require expanded recruiting efforts beyond traditional means, which could assist in 41 attracting a broader base of applicants. He believed it was a positive thing for the City to have an 42 affirmative action plan in place and the perception to drop it would be very poor. 43 44 MOTION/SECOND: Bergeron/Mueller. To Table Action on Resolution 9297, Approving an 45