Staff is recommending that the Village hire The Kaleidoscope Group, a Chicago firm, to conduct a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) audit and plan. Four firms were interviewed as part of the process. Kaleidoscope was chosen over the other firms given the strength of their proposal, the breadth of their experience, including a demonstrated understanding of and experience with municipal governments as organizations.  

This project is driven by the Village Board’s strategic priority to “Find new ways to embrace diversity with the community and the Village Government.” While the group will be focusing primarily on a review of the Village government as an employer, they will be hosting some Community Engagement meetings as part of their scope of work that will provide insights into the perspectives of our residents to inform the process.  The feedback and dialogue occurring during those sessions can be used to inform other community decisions as well.

After some initial interviews, the Community Engagement Meetings will be held this fall. Again these meetings will help define desired outcomes and areas of focus. We hope to involve other community partners such as the School District, Library, and Park District, in the engagement process as well. After those meetings the Consultant will review the Village’s current practices in critical areas and conduct a workforce assessment including employee focus groups and a survey. All of this information will be compared to contemporary best practices and the firm will provide a final report, strategic framework, and plan to the Village Board and Staff. At that point, we can consider which of the recommendations we want to pursue and when and how.

The project cost estimate is $31,000 with the potential of additional costs if it is determined if additional community engagement meetings are needed. The Human Resources Department has adequate funds budgeted in its loss prevention line items to cover the cost of this project.

In addition to this project, Staff is continuing with other projects as part of this strategic priority including a continuation of last year’s unconscious bias training, efforts to increase the number of minority and female police officer candidates, and a disability accommodation assessment. A webpage outlining the Village’s ongoing DEI efforts will be going up soon. 

Staff believes this effort will help us ensure we are doing what we can to be a welcoming and inclusive organization for our employees and community members.

Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Village Board authorize the Village Manager to enter into a consulting agreement with the Kaleidoscope Group to provide a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Audit and Plan.