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City of Aurora Community Partnership Plan |
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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
City of Aurora, Colorado
The purpose of this report is:
It is critical for the City of Aurora to proactively address the needs of its changing community so it can provide exceptional city services and maintain a high quality of life for all of its residents. Revised June, 2006 SECTION I: A CHANGING COMMUNITYAurora’s population is changing rapidly. The rate of population growth in Aurora has exceeded that of all other cities in the Denver metropolitan area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Aurora’s population grew 53% between 1980 and 1995 (from 162,868 to 249,720. The 2000 Census placed Aurora’s population at 276,393, which is a 69.7% increase over 1980. Growing Multiculturalism. This explosive population growth has brought with it more multiculturalism. The following statistical data provided by the City of Aurora Planning Department. U.S. Census Bureau data shows Aurora’s population has grown more diverse in that
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that this trend toward a more ethnically diverse population in Aurora will continue. It is important to note that within the broad ethnic categories of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian, there is considerable intra-group diversity. This intra-group diversity is most notable in the Asian and Hispanic communities. In the Asian community there are immigrants from Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In the Hispanic community, there are immigrants from various Central and South American countries, Mexico, Cuba, as well as European and Caribbean countries. The same is true of immigrants from Europe and Africa. A very recent addition to the growing Aurora community is the influx of immigrants from various regions of Eastern Europe. Aurora’s school districts now show there are students who speak languages native to these areas.
Religion. Another result of the growing multiculturalism of Aurora’s population is the presence of religious affiliations not commonly found in Aurora ten or fifteen years ago. Three such religious affiliations are Islam (Muslims), Sikhism, and Buddhism. Age. The median age of Aurora’s Caucasian population is thirty-five (35) years, African-American is thirty (30), Asians is thirty-four (34) and Hispanics is twenty-six (26). Income. In 1989, the median household income for Aurorans was $33,214; in 1998 this figure grew to $46,507 and in 2004 it grew to $51,662. Consistent with national trends, the Aurora community has increasing numbers of residents and households at the extreme ends of the income spectrum. Persons below the poverty level increased from 5.32% of the population in 1980 to 7.33% of the population in 1990, remaining relatively unchanged in 2005 at 7.31%. Households with incomes above $50,000 increased from 4.7% of the population in 1979 to 24.7% in 1989, and to 52.27% of the population in 2005. Housing Patterns. In 1980, 63.9% of Aurora’s housing units were owner-occupied and 29.4% was occupied by renters, with 6.7% of the units vacant. In 1990, the percentage of owner-occupied housing units decreased to 52.3% and the percentage of rental-occupied units increased to 36.9%. In 2005 64.4% of Aurora’s housing units were owner-occupied and 35.58% were occupied by renters. Family Structure. The percentage of family households consisting of married couples declined from 83.8% of all family households in 1980 to 76.7% in 1990. Family households are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a household with more than one person who is related by birth, marriage, or adoption to another person in the household. Conversely, the percentage of single-parent households increased from 15.3% of the total family households in 1980 to 23.7% of the total family households in 1990. In 2005 the percentage of family households consisting of married couples was 46.41% and the percentage of single parent household was 27.58%. As the preceding information clearly illustrates, the Aurora community has changed noticeably since 1990 in that there are:
Implications of Growing Community Multiculturalism for Governance. Given the growing multiculturalism of the Aurora community, and the overall rapid growth of Aurora -- in terms of population and land size -- city government is presented with new, complex, and ever-changing challenges for providing citizens with equal, quality, responsive services. The differing values and experiences of diverse populations, differing age distributions, and differing family patterns call for city government to respond to its evolving community in ways not required in the past. Discussed below are just a few of the situations with which Aurora city government must grapple in order to provide high quality services to the community. New vs. Established. As more immigrants from around the world move to Aurora, there might be more frequent incidents of tension between new immigrants and the established population. These demographic shifts can cause conflict between recently arrived immigrants, who are unfamiliar with U.S. culture, language, and practices, and the longer-established community. The problems these kinds of tensions can create will be seen primarily in the area of public safety and neighborhood issues, as well as in retail, recreation and library services. Intra-Ethnic Difficulties. Similar difficulties also may arise between immigrant and ethnic subgroups, particularly among those who fled to the United States to avoid oppression in their native country. Two examples of this kind of tension are antagonisms between Christian Serbians and Muslim Croats, or Koreans and Vietnamese. Again, the problems these kind of tensions can create will be seen primarily in the area of public safety and neighborhood issues, but may also be seen in retail, recreation services, and library services. Public Safety. It is important to realize immigrants often have a very different experience with law enforcement officers in their native country. Many immigrants fear law enforcement officers and are very mistrustful of government. . Often immigrants are not willing to work with them because public safety officers in their native country operated under political dictates, and frequently acted injudiciously, brutally, and with impunity. As a result, it will take special care and skill to gain cooperation and assistance in promoting public safety and protecting the community. Culture and Communication. Different cultures view communication and conflict resolution in divergent ways. Direct confrontation of a problem may be common and acceptable for individuals in some cultures, but in other cultures this approach can be offensive and demeaning. The same is true for direct eye contact between men and women, the questioning of a child, and the asking of some explicit questions (e.g., related to alleged sexual assault cases). Additionally, the deaf and hearing impaired communicate with American Sign Language, which is different from the everyday English commonly used in the hearing community. Knowledge of different cultural communication practices can mean the difference between a city employee gaining the confidence and trust of a resident and an employee inadvertently causing confusion and mistrust. The challenges these kinds of tensions can create will be seen throughout all city services that require direct contact with residents. Again, public safety and neighborhood issues may be the most visible. However, these kinds of tensions also will be seen in personnel (job applicants, interviews, etc.), recreation services, library services, as well as all other departments where contact with the public occurs. As the preceding examples suggest, city government faces challenges not frequently encountered in the past. Aurora city government must respond to the changing Aurora community in ways not previously needed in order to govern effectively and provide equal, quality services. Overall, the changing community raises the question of how the city should proceed in proactively dealing with the service issues discussed above. The following section addresses the question of how the city can better meet the service needs of the changing Aurora community. Addressing the Changing Service Needs of the Aurora CommunityThe multiculturalism of the Aurora community presents city government with new, sometimes perplexing, and ever changing challenges for serving its citizens. The changing community calls for city government to respond to it in ways not needed in the past. It is critical for the community, through organizations and associations representing various interests in the community, to work in partnership with the City to address the changing service needs of the Aurora community. Success comes from working together to resolve the issues at hand because the City alone cannot address the issues. It should be noted that the City of Aurora, in partnership with community representatives, has responded well to many of the changes in the Aurora community. Although the City and its community partners need to continue finding ways to better serve its evolving community, it is instructive to briefly review some of the steps taken thus far to be more responsive to the community. The 2003 Comprehensive Plan represents a significant step forward in that policy-makers addressed issues of diversity in Aurora. This was done in the context of 14 “themes” that had as their unifying element Aurora’s “geography of growth.” The recognition that Aurora is a large city with increasing diversity among its many neighborhoods. Chamber IV.J in particular, “Responding to Population Diversity,” highlights changes in the percentages and distribution of Aurora residents by location, race, ethnicity, age, income and education. The northwest neighborhood of the city, which is known as Original Aurora, is recognized as one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city. According to most recent figures, Original Aurora’s population is 50,067. The Hispanic population in Original Aurora grew from 3,069 persons in 1990 to 24,219 in 2000—a 689% increase. During the same period, there was a 33% decrease in the number of caucasian residents in Original Aurora. Approximately 35% of Original Aurora’s population in 2000 was foreign-born—a 795% increase from the 1990 foreign-born population. Persons of Mexican heritage comprise 81% of Original Aurora’s foreign-born population. An analysis of languages spoken by students enrolled in Original Aurora schools indicates that 52 languages are spoken in the neighborhood. The majority of students (63%) speak Spanish as their primary language, 35% speak English and only 2% of students speak one of the remaining fifty languages. Building Unity in the Community Programs. Original Aurora Renewal (OAR) launched a comprehensive outreach program in 2001 in response to the dramatic demographic shift occurring within the northwest neighborhood. This multifaceted outreach program includes regular visits to schools, homes, nonprofits and businesses to share city information and resources with Spanish-speaking residents in Original Aurora. Over half of OAR’s staff are bilingual. OAR’s Community Networkers spend approximately 25% of their time delivering the following programs to the Original Aurora neighborhood, most of which target the Spanish-speaking population. The cost of city staff to maintain these programs is estimated to be approximately $37,500 annually with an additional $2,000 a year in operating supplies. The 10 components of the program include: Ø Coffee with Parents are hosted monthly or quarterly by eight elementary schools and two middle schools serving the Original Aurora neighborhood. OAR’s bi-lingual Community Networkers deliver city-related information on an array of topics to the Spanish-speaking parents of Aurora Public School students.
Ø House Calls are available to both English- and Spanish-speaking individuals who are concerned with crime or quality of life issues challenging their apartment complexes or the city blocks surrounding their home. A team of representatives from OAR, the police department and code enforcement meet with the concerned individual and their neighbors to design and implement problem-solving strategies to address their issues.
Ø Neighborhood Watch for Spanish Speakers is offered by OAR’s bilingual Weed and Seed Networker to engage Spanish-speaking residents in crime prevention and public safety efforts. Ø The “In Partnership with Businesses” program is designed to inform and engage business owners in the crime-reduction efforts and neighborhood improvement strategies implemented by the City of Aurora to revitalize the area. “Blockworkers” from a variety of city divisions are assigned to regularly visit businesses and deliver relevant information in both English and Spanish to businesses in the downtown area. Ø The “Lifelong Learning Project” is designed to advance language and life skills of non-English speakers. The Community College of Aurora’s Language Center and its Workforce Development Center offer approximately 85 non-credit English Language Acquisition classes and four Spanish-language GED preparatory courses each year on the Lowry campus. OAR assists CCA in marketing these classes to area residents.
Ø Cross-Cultural Mediation is available through OAR’s bilingual Community Networker and the city’s certified mediator. Ø OAR’s bilingual Community Networker is trained as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member. Trained members educate other community members on how to respond in the case of a community emergency. Ø OAR—in conjunction with dozens of community stakeholders—launched an Immigrant Integration Community Planning Process in June 2005 to better understand what residents, newly arrived immigrants, the city, and non-profit organizations can do to bridge the cultural divide and create a more blended and cohesive Original Aurora community. Home Ownership Assistance Program (HOAP). One example of the City’s response to the differing needs of its residents is the Neighborhood Services Department’s Home Ownership Assistance Program. This program offers home buying classes that are taught in Spanish in order to meet the special service needs of a portion of the Hispanic community. (These classes also are taught in English.) Single Family Rehab Loan Program and Home Ownership Assistance Program brochures are printed in English and in Spanish. These brochures are distributed during neighborhood meetings, job fairs, the Channel 9 Health Fairs and to the public in general. Other Home Ownership Assistant Program materials produced in Spanish that are regularly distributed or are readily available to the public are: homebuyer tapes; intake documents; homebuyer workbooks; prospective homebuyer letters and lead based paint pamphlets (from the EPA). The HOAP has set aside a telephone extension exclusively to record Spanish language inquiries when a bilingual employee is not available. The extension is checked routinely by a bilingual employee or a bilingual counselor for specific follow-up. Translation/Interpretation Services. The Community Relations Division, Neighborhood Services Department, in partnership with community members, has volunteers (91 bilingual/multilingual International Cross-Cultural Network of Aurora (ICCNA) members and City employees) who provide critical translation services (oral, written, and reading) for numerous City service providers. For example, if a code enforcement inspector needs a translator to explain an issue to a resident who speaks only Spanish, the Community Relations Office can arrange for a volunteer translator to assist the code enforcement inspector. The same is true for translation services needed for situations involving the municipal court, police, utilities, community services, and many other city service providers. In 2000 the Community Relations Division received 197 requests for language translation or interpretation. Among the languages requested were Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Cantonese, Khmer, Czech, Japanese, Farsi, Russian, Polish, Creole, Hungarian, Arabic, Urdu, Portuguese, Amharic and German. These translators also help with the Aurora Community Services Directory, which is produced by the Community Relations Division. This directory provides timely information on City of Aurora codes and regulations, City events, safety information, and cultural awareness. It is published in Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese. The Community Relations Division also works with the general public if translation services are needed. For example, if a landlord needs to talk to his/her tenant, or if a homeowner needs to talk to his/her neighbor, about an issue like a barking dog or unkempt yard, the Community Relations Division staff will arrange for a translator to assist the landlord or homeowner. The Police Department offers many forms of interpreter and translator services to Aurora’s citizenry. Several of the uniformed patrol officer position assignments may be held only by bilingual officers. The ten most commonly used police forms have been translated into Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian to better communicate with that growing population within Aurora. The police department contracts for an Interpreter Coordinator position, which is responsible for recruiting qualified interpreter volunteers, maintaining a current list of qualified interpreters, and ensuring their availability when needed by officers and detectives. For many years, the police department has used the AT&T Language Line in situations when time is of the essence for accessing a qualified interpreter. The Language Line operator quickly places a qualified interpreter on the telephone that can then provide the officer or detective in the field with immediate interpretation services for a crime victim, witness or suspect. The Language Line services are paid for with E911 funding. The police department recently completed compliance requirements for the Limited English Proficient (LEP) federal mandates under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department now has a LEP program in place that assures quality service delivery to persons for whom English is not their primary language. Community Cultural Awareness Workshops. For employees who work with the general community, the City of Aurora offers workshops which address cultural awareness issues that employees might encounter while providing service to residents, and/or as employees working with fellow employees who come from a background different than their own. It is important for employees to understand their responsibility to learn about the community they serve. Some departments whose employees have received this training include the Fire Department, Library, Recreation and Cultural Services, Neighborhood Services Department, Parks Department, Public Works Department, and Utilities Department, all departments that have heavy contact with residents throughout the Aurora community. Language Lab. A lab has been established by the Human Resources Department to provide employees with self-instruction materials to learn the basics of languages spoken by citizens of the City. Currently the lab contains instruction materials in Spanish, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. The lab also has an instruction video and workbook for sign language. Youth Services-Office of Youth Development and Moorhead Recreation Center
City Council created the Aurora Youth Commission in 2000 as an advisory commission comprised of 14 youth between the ages of 14 and 20 and 5 adult members. Youth Services participates in a metro-wide program called Metropolitan Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards to recognize young people in our community whose contributions and achievements might otherwise be overlooked. Moorhead Recreation Center provides volunteer opportunities to youth in the community through Teen Advisory Group, Teen Library Corps, and Jr. Titans (Teens In Training for Aurora’s NeighborS). Teen Scene is a free, safe drop in program provided to teens ages 12-18 on Friday and Saturday evenings. Teen Scene takes place Fridays at Fletcher Elementary School, and Saturdays at Moorhead Recreation Center. Moorhead Recreation Center partnered with Asian Pacific Development Center to offer English Language Acquisition classes for adults in the neighborhood at an affordable rate. A child enrichment program is provided during the class time so parents are able to attend ELA classes and their children are interacting in a positive social environment. Senior Programs. On the other end of the age spectrum are the programs the Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Department offers for the growing number of senior citizens in the community. The Aurora Senior Center offers many types of activities for elderly citizens that address the special needs of an aging population. For example, there are classes in health wellness and fitness such as “How to Avoid Slips and Falls”; there are clinics for flu shots and clinics to test for blood pressure, anemia, and other health indicators; and there are classes in driving that are geared to address the specific needs of the older motorist. Beginning in 2000 and continuing through 2004, the Senior Center hosted a series of “Cultural Celebrations.” These ranged from weeklong programs to entire months during which special culturally themed programs occurred. Cultures included: Southeast Asia, Mexican, Korean, African Americans in the West, Russian, Vietnamese, German and Japanese. A community planning committee was used to design each celebration and bring in community members with appropriate skills, knowledge and experiences. These programs were funded through Scientific, Cultural, Facilities District money. The police department has a Senior Resource Officer position that is filled by a sworn officer. That officer gives crime prevention presentations at various senior citizen events and to senior citizen organizations. Additionally, the Aurora Police Department offers a Senior Citizens Police Academy to educate seniors about how the police department functions. Kaleidoscope Aurora. Kaleidoscope Aurora is another example of the City responding to the growing multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism of the community. Kaleidoscope Aurora is a one-day festival that celebrates the multiculturalism of the Aurora community. This festival features food, music, dance and other cultural activities that represent cultures from six (6) continents, a reflection of the community’s multiculturalism. Under the umbrella of Kaleidoscope, the Community Relations Division coordinates various cultural awareness events in Aurora, most notably the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration, Cinco de Mayo, and Holocaust Awareness events and the cultural legacy series. Also, Black History Month (February) is celebrated each year with support from the City. The City’s libraries typically host several events and sponsor many displays related to the celebration of Black History Month. Business and Liquor Licenses. The Finance Department, which issues various business licenses and handles liquor licenses for the city, frequently brings in translators for meetings and hearings (e.g., liquor license hearings) to ensure the customer’s needs are addressed. Also, prior to the most recent code changes, many business forms used by the Finance Department were translated into several different languages to meet the needs of diverse business community found in Aurora. Business Development Center (BDC). The Business Development Center also serves as a bridge between the City and the community’s diverse businesspersons. The office works with the Asian business community through the Aurora Asian Pacific Community Partnership. Local Asian and non-Asian community and business leaders comprise the partnership. Its purpose is to increase the awareness and improve the visibility of the Asian community among all residents. It does this by focussing on five (5) broad areas of special needs: business assistance, communications, community outreach, cultural awareness, spanish language assistance, and employment and training. The BDC presents a twelve week entrepreneurial training program in Spanish that consists of three modules that prepare participants to start and operate their own small business and be able to prepare a business plan to guide their efforts. Spanish speaking counseling assistance is also provided at no cost on a wide array of small business topics. Aurora Asian Film Festival. This cultural event is a partnership between the Aurora Asian/Pacific Community Partnership, the Denver Film Society and the City of Aurora. The Festival is held at the Aurora Fox Arts Center and includes documentaries and feature films from China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the Philippines, as well as films made by Asian-American filmmakers in the U.S. or abroad. This event offers a cinematic journey to the Far East and the rich and varied cultures of Asian peoples. Special Events – Cultural Services Division of the Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. The Special Events staff provides international award-winning events such as KidSpree and Pumpkin Fest that appeal to all ages and all cultures.
Historic DeLaney Farm is alive with activities during PumpkinFest in October each year with the featured activity, the Jack-O-Launch. Other activities include the haunted barn, pumpkin patch, hayrides and entertainers from various cultures. In 2004 the Special Events staff initiated several new events in Fletcher Plaza, Original Aurora, attracting the various cultures prominent in Aurora’s diverse community. Events such as Fiesta Aurora, Java EST and World Fusion all feature foods, refreshments and performers from various different cultures. Aurora History Museum – Cultural Services Division of the Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. The Aurora History Museum’s Cultural Diversity Roundtable was established in 2002 to explore issues related to creating cultural awareness among diverse communities in Aurora, promotion of the Museum among Aurora’s diverse community, and to identify resources to enhance community building. The Cultural Diversity Roundtable has with the sponsorship of the John Thomas Foundation held seminars entitled: Community Building and Coming to Aurora, collected Oral Histories from Aurora’s recent immigrants involving the Aurora Museum Foundation Board, the Aurora Historical Society, the Aurora Genealogical Society and representatives from various ethnic communities. In October 2005, the program was An Ethiopian Evening at the Museum. The program provided enrichment and heightened social awareness of the Ethiopian community in Aurora. Additional programs throughout the year have included celebrating the Chinese New Year, traditional Chinese folk-dances, the Chinese tea ceremony, Chinese brush writing and Chinese tradition. Other programs include Polynesian Dancers, Native American Raven Dancers, lectures highlighting various cultures such as Egyptian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, Central American, South American and the following Museum exhibits: Botswana Baskets, Russian Folk Art, and Philippine Costumes.
Veterans’ Affairs Commission. The City also supports the Veterans’ Affairs Commission. This commission advises City Council on issues and concerns of interest to veterans and works with the City in celebrating veterans for their service to the country. SECTION II: IDENTIFYING UNMET OR INADEQUATELY MET NEEDSIn the mid-1990, in order to continue developing quality service programs like those noted above, staff turned to various stakeholder groups in the community at large and the City of Aurora and asked these stakeholder groups for guidance and assistance in identifying unmet or inadequately met needs. Through a series of meetings during the first half of 1995, these groups suggested numerous ways for the City to provide more responsive services to the increasingly multicultural community of Aurora. Their suggestions are incorporated in the action steps suggested in Section III of this report. The groups are as follows:
* The groups represented are the Korean Retail Liquor Association, the Korean Motel Owner’s Association, the Asian Pacific Partnership, and citizen Chanin Park, an employee with the Colorado Dept. of Human Services. Internal Groups ADA Committee (ADACC) EEO Diversity Committee (formerly known as Affirmative Action Committee) (AAC)
The stakeholder groups suggested nine (9) fundamental needs the City, in partnership with them, should address more adequately in order to provide quality, responsive services to the changing Aurora community. These fundamental needs are as follows: 1. information and education
Detailed below are the specific actions the stakeholder groups suggested the City, in partnership with them, take to address each fundamental need. Noted in parenthesis with each dot point is the number of groups that identified the action as one that is needed. Those action steps identified by four (4) or more stakeholder groups are noted with a double star (**). 1. A Need for Information and Education.
2. A Need for Recognition and Acknowledgment.
3. A Need for Enhanced Delivery of Services to the Community.
4. A Need for Greater Involvement and Participation by the Community and the Citizens in City Activities.
5. A Need for More Involvement by the City and Its Employees in Community Activities.
6. A Need for Expanded Programs and Services.
7. A Need for Expanded Employment Opportunities.
8. A Need for Expanded Training Opportunities.
9. A Need for the Administration and Monitoring of a Community Partnership Plan for the City.
The concerns raised by the stakeholder groups were used to devise specific action steps for the City, in partnership with the stakeholder groups, to follow in order to better meet the needs of the changing Aurora community. These are discussed in Section III: Community Partnership Plan, which follows on the next page. The action steps were grouped into five key elements which would describe the Community Partnership Plan. Specific actions, which have since taken place pursuant to these key elements, have been described in this report. SECTION III: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PLANThere are five (5) key elements that comprise the City’s Community Partnership Plan: 1. Training.
Each are discussed in detail below, with specific action steps recommended for implementation and results of specific City efforts since the original implementation of the Plan. (The recommended action steps are in addition to the service delivery changes that have been implemented thus far, as explained earlier in this report.) City Council will be presented with periodic reports about the City’s efforts to implement the Community Partnership Plan. These reports also will be made available for the stakeholder groups and members of the community. Plan Element I: Training:An important element of the Community Partnership Plan is expanding the availability of the City’s cultural awareness training for City staff. 1. The City will expand its current cultural awareness training so it is available more frequently and to more employees. The training will include specific recommendations on how to interact with various communities comprised of different cultures and religious beliefs.
2. The City will regularly update its cultural awareness training course content to reflect on-going demographic changes in the community. This kind of training can be substantively complemented with real life examples as relayed by employees who work with various segments of the community. For example, employees will be asked to provide examples of efforts they have used that have or have not worked within various segments of the Aurora community. This “experience” then will be used in cultural awareness training sessions. Included in this cultural awareness training will be information about the needs and concerns of women and the disabled.
3. More specialized training in cultural awareness will be developed and offered to employees in the protective services departments. It is important the training addresses cultural sources of misunderstanding that arise as a result of communication (e.g., eye contact) and language differences. Cultural awareness training will be supplemented with real life examples and a handbook that is updated regularly.
Plan Element II: Communication Issues:Another important element of the City’s Community Partnership Plan is improvement of the City’s communications with the Aurora community. Action steps are discussed below. 1. The City will provide translation and sign interpretation services to the deaf and hearing impaired to ensure members of this community understand City programs and services and, therefore, participate fully and equally in the community.
2. The City will provide information, documents, forms, applications, and other ways of communicating with the public, in braille, large type, and languages other than English. Although the City currently does some of this, it is done unevenly across departments. It is important to provide these services in a consistent manner so the communities affected can fully participate in their local government.
3. The City will investigate the possibility of contracting with local community colleges to offer classes in foreign languages (e.g., Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.) and sign language to employees over the lunch hour. Often this can be done at a reduced rate for the employees. The focus of these classes will be conversational phrases related to their particular job (e.g., code enforcement, fire safety, etc.).
4. City staff will work with the various communities to develop a community liaison and community mediator within each segment of the community. These individuals then can be contacted if problems arise regarding the delivery of City services. Overall, these kinds of liaisons can help the City to better understand some of the problems within the various communities and, in turn, help the communities better understand City of Aurora services, rules, and regulations.
5. Parking and internal building accommodations have been addressed for persons with disabilities at facilities throughout the City. .
6. The hearing impaired and non-English speaking community must be ensured that emergency response service can be provided to them in a timely manner.
Plan Element III: Employment Services:This plan element is comprised of two parts: recruitment and training/advancement, each of which will be discussed in further detail below. As background, however, it is important to look at workforce composition. One critical way for the City to provide more responsive services to the community is to employ a workforce, at all levels of employment (e.g., management, professional, clerical, etc.), that adequately represents the community it serves. The City’s workforce composition is as follows: CITY OF AURORA WORKFORCE AS OF June 17, 2005*
White 83.69% 74.39%2,351 Black 5.48% 4.77%154 Hispanic 7.29% 15.64%205 Asian 1.45% 2.65%41 Native Hawaiian/ 0.35% 0.08%Ocean Pacific Islander 10 American Indian/ 0.71% 0.69%
Two or more races 0.99% 1.72% 28 Please see Appendix A for more detailed information about the City of Aurora workforce.
The City believes it to be important to have employees who are representative of groups with which they have direct working contact. There are numerous ways of accomplishing this task. 1. The City will work, where possible, to hire individuals who are representative of the community into jobs that require significant contact with these communities.
2. The City will work to advertise position openings in national and local publications and through national and local professional organizations to spread the news about City of Aurora recruitments. These will be used to advertise open positions, especially those that require significant community contact. See Appendix C for a detailed list of the publications and professional organizations that will be used when recruiting for City of Aurora vacancies. There also are many local avenues to pursue regarding recruitment. City departmental staff, with the assistance of the human resources staff, will do news pieces such as articles or interviews that explain upcoming recruitments, the process for participating in the recruitments, as well as the promotional process for careers in a specific field. In order to communicate with the communities that have not been adequately reached in the past, these articles and interviews will be placed in media sources geared towards a specific segment of the community (e.g., Spanish language radio and TV stations, newsletters and bulletin boards (electronic and otherwise) of national and local professional associations, etc.).
3. The City will use alternative methods of reaching the community, such as presentations at job fairs offered through local technical and community colleges/schools, as well as presentations to professional organizations, to inform citizens about employment and promotion with the City of Aurora. The presentations will include how to prepare for the physical and written exams, the promotional processes, etc.
4. The City will market promotional opportunities in better ways for the City workforce. For example, the City will offer study classes for sworn employees who wish to prepare for promotional exams. Also, opportunities for out-of-class work experience will be offered equally to all employees.
5. Department directors, with the assistance of the Human Resources Department, will assess and develop recruitment action steps for those departments that face challenging efforts in recruiting a workforce that is more representative of the community. Human Resources staff will provide guidance and assistance to those departments where significant differences exist between the composition of the department’s employees and the community groups with which they directly work or serve. Those departments with proven success will be encouraged to continue with their current efforts and will not be required to implement a process of more intensive recruitment.
7. All supervisory and management employee performance evaluations will continue to include the element of “workplace diversity”. Evaluation will be based on the employee’s efforts to improve cultural awareness in the workplace. It is important for employees to be held accountable for promoting and valuing cultural awareness in the workplace and the community.
8. Purchasing Services promotes, where possible, the announcement of bidding opportunity for minority and women owned businesses.
Plan Element IV: Marketing Multiculturalism:Another critical element of the Community Partnership Plan is the need for the City to market the diverse and cosmopolitan nature of the Aurora community. A diverse community is a terrific selling point for many locales, and the City must devise ways to use this positive feature in promoting itself as a great community in which to live and work. 1. The City will market Aurora’s multiculturalism through extensive promotion of community festivals and events that celebrate various segments of the Aurora community. Promotion will be done via the newsletter enclosed with the City’s utilities bills, promotional brochures with the Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Small Business Development Center, Asian/Pacific Community Partnership, real estate firms, the area’s newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations. This kind of promotion also will be used as a way of educating the public about the various cultures that exist within the Aurora community. The Senior Center hosted a two week long Cultural Celebration in 2000 to increase awareness among seniors of the cultures of Southeast Asia and Mexico.
2. The City will include the area’s multiculturalism as a selling point for the City of Aurora as a high quality of life community. The City needs to focus on the many benefits of living in a diverse community in spreading the word about the quality of life in the Aurora community.
Plan Element V: Community Involvement:One very important element of the City’s Community Partnership Plan is community involvement. This can be accomplished through outreach and close working relationships with the Aurora Human Relations Commission, OAR, and the school systems. Specific ways of involvement could include broadened outreach to businesses, developers, realtors, associations, and other groups that represent aspects of the community, as well as continued involvement with the Aurora and Cherry Creek School Systems. The development of more specific items would follow if City Council agrees this is an important area. Some of the City’s accomplishments in the area of community involvement include:
APPENDIX A COMPARISON OF CITY OF AURORA WORKFORCE STATISTICS BY ETHNICITY, GENDER, & JOB CLASSIFICATION WITH THE METRO AREA’S WORK FORCE AVAILABILITY BY ETHNICITY, GENDER, & JOB CLASSIFICATIONCommunity Partnership Plan APPENDIX A The City of Aurora Employee Workforce percentage as of June 17, 2005, in comparison to the Community Labor Statistic (CLS) percentage and the Civilian Labor Force (Civ. Lab. F.) which represents the Denver Metropolitan Area Work Force. Categorized by Ethnicity, Gender, and Job Classification. Ethnicity Key: W – White
Community Labor Statistics and the Civilian Labor Force Percentages are based on the 2000 Census. City of Aurora Employee Workforce vs. Community Labor Statistics (CLS)
City of Aurora Employee Workforce vs. Community Labor Statistics (CLS)
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