Drell Haynes, director of Spokane’s Office of Civil Rights, Equity & Inclusion, briefed the Urban Experience Committee on Dec. 8 about the office’s 2024 work and priorities for 2025.

Haynes said the office engaged with 83 community members this year (now 84 after an additional case on the day of the meeting) who believed their civil rights were infringed; staff refer those cases to state entities such as the state human-rights commission or a hate-crimes hotline. "We were able to refer 100% of them to the state level," Haynes said, and added that enforcement decisions rest with the attorney general.

He described two dashboards: a 30-metric external equity dashboard that will present indicators across economic opportunity, health, education and criminal-justice metrics, and an internal workforce dashboard showing city-employee demographics and pay. The external dashboard will cite sources such as FBI crime data, OSPI education data and U.S. Census information.

Haynes said the office completed a draft ADA transition plan and is partnering with the state to preview the draft before broader public outreach. He also said the office will seek to hire a language-access coordinator through civil service for a 12-month appointment funded by ARPA dollars to lead department trainings and implementation of language-access plans; he said the position is not recurring.

Councilmembers asked whether the office receives outcome reports from referrals to the state; Haynes said there is no systematic feedback loop but staff sometimes learn results when community members follow up. Members also pressed on metrics and whether the office is tracking the actions taken to move those metrics; Haynes pointed to hiring-rule changes, targeted outreach and adjustments to recruitment as examples of tracked actions.

Haynes said the office will offer monthly optional internal trainings on racial equity, implicit bias and cultural humility and will continue to engage community advisory groups, including new immigrant and refugee affairs and religious leaders groups.