Mayor's Community Task Force

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

MAYOR’S COMMUNITY TASK FORCE SUMMARY

Community Task Force

Task Force Committee Assignments

Program Overview

Appointed by Mayor Ella Jones, City of Ferguson, the Mayor’s Community Task Force (MCTF) is a body of community organizations and stakeholders who are selected and appointed because of their commitment to Ferguson, unique experiences, skills and capabilities to assist with helping to move our collective communities forward and improve the city’s overall community wellbeing.

Duration of Term Limit(s): Task Force members are appointed by the Mayor to serve on the Task Force for the duration of the program a period of 1 year with a maximum term on the Task Force of 3 years. The Mayor can and will rotate members based on availability, fit and the Task Force’s needs.

Estimate Meeting Times: Bi-monthly meetings averaging 6 times a year for meeting times consisting of face to face, virtual (phone and video conferencing) with an anticipated meet time of 60 to 90 minutes. Sub-committees (as deemed necessary) may meet in the interim as needed.

Elements of the MCTF: Working in collaboration with Mayor Ella Jones, the council and the community, the Mayor’s Community Task Force will form work to support the following principles.

Empower the Community, Equity and Proportionality, Building Mutual Trust, Providing Clear, Accessible Information, Quality of listening, Impact, Accountability, Identifying Appropriate Resources and Cultural Relevance

Core Components:

• Post Covid-19 response – the City of Ferguson

• Post Covid-19 response – Ferguson’s citizens

• Post Covid-19 response- the business community

• Economic Inequity: (addressing jobs and workforce development opportunities)

• Economic Development (addressing small business, commercial retention and community development initiatives)

• Neighborhood Improvement (fair housing, home ownership, and home improvement, quality education, healthy foods and living quality, addressing problem properties and code enforcement)

• Housing (increase market rate housing, improve home ownership percentage, improve overall quality of housing)

• Environmental/Energy Sustainability

• Safety (crime and other concerns)

• Youth Services and Recreation Programming

• Socio-Economic Recovery Programming

MCFT’s Purpose

Develop an Actionable Plan(s):

• Formalize the mission and vision of the committee (the Mayor should provide the basis)

• Develop goals and objectives.

Board Roles:

The Mayor’s advisory board will consist of residents and other stakeholders of the Ferguson community. Those members are appointed according to Wards (1, 2, 3) along with Small Business Representation(s) and Youth Advisor(s). The MCTF Advisory Board Elements are as follows:

1. Assigned the task with identifying the needs in each ward by the citizens of Ferguson to address and present to the task force committee through reporting and feedback

2. Working cohesively the task force committee and the Mayor to assess resources and opportunities available to Ferguson.

3. Develop actionable/implementable plans that may be employed by the City and the task force.

Task Force Community Liaison(s):

The MCTF will work with supporting organizations as liaisons through-out the community.

Goal of COVID19 Recovery Program:

• Plan for the City of Ferguson Recovery from COVID19.

• Create a long-term vision for the community and stakeholders of the community for a healthy, stable and civic environment.

• Implement Community Engagement forums to discuss the obstacles and issues people are facing as they navigate through a new living environment.

• Develop best practices for the City of Ferguson to support changes from the pandemic outbreak.

How to Engage all of Ferguson’s Diverse Partners:

• Corporations

• Churches

• Social Services

• Small Businesses

• Neighborhoods

• Others

Community Engagement Approach:

The Mayor’s Community Task Force will host a series of community forums. The topics will address various issues the city is facing, best practices and approach to improve the task force initiatives. These forums can be held monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly based on the committee agenda planning. The Mayor is seeking the MCTF to support these efforts with planning and execution.

Social Media: The Task Force will use social media consisting of Twitter, Instagram and FB to keep the community abreast of information and activities in addition a tab added to the City of Ferguson Website regarding the Task Force Initiatives so the community can follow meeting dates, times and upcoming events.

Surveys: Community surveys will be created to allow the community to provide feedback, share stories and comments. The surveys are then collated and made public to build community consensus. The surveys are conducted quarterly.

Measurement: The Task Force Measurement for success is tangible and visible. Evaluating the outcome of each initiative and assessing areas of improvements.