Oshkosh DEI committee pushes for clearer equity data, suggests annual 'report card' and broader MEI use

Unidentified Speaker 1, a member of the DEI committee, convened the Nov. 24 meeting and members focused significant discussion on improving data transparency and expanding equity measurement across city departments.

Andy (speaker 3) led the substantive proposal, saying the committee should ask departments to track and report equity-related key performance indicators so the public can see where the city is meeting goals and where gaps remain. "What I would love to see is for us to discuss what that would actually look like implementing some of those things at a city level," Andy said, describing options such as requiring specific data points from departments and publicizing the results.

Unidentified Speaker 2 pointed to existing DEI statistics on the city's strategic planning webpage and recommended the committee review those metrics at a future meeting as a starting point. Committee members discussed turning those data into an annual "equity report card," a consolidated document Andy suggested would highlight both achievements and areas needing improvement.

Committee members also discussed using the Municipal Equity Index (MEI) — the city’s current participation — as a template. Unidentified Speaker 2 said Oshkosh participates in the MEI and that the committee typically reviews the updated MEI report in late December or January; the group spoke about expanding MEI-style reporting to additional populations beyond LGBTQIA+.

Members flagged possible next steps: inventory existing departmental data, identify missing metrics, and draft recommended KPIs for city departments to track. The committee discussed procurement and contracting practices as an area where equity measures and outreach could be improved to expand diverse representation in city contracts and applicant pipelines for boards and commissions.

No formal vote or directive appeared in the transcript to adopt a report card or mandate new reporting processes at this meeting; members agreed to explore templates and return to the subject in future meetings once updated MEI data are available. The December DEI meeting is canceled; the committee expects to resume substantive planning in mid-January.