City reviews Title VI language-access threshold and plans consultant study for limited-language populations

Public Works staff briefed the council on a Title VI language access screening that will guide how Arlington provides bilingual services for federally funded programs.

Staff said the city follows WSDOT Local Programs guidance for limited-English-proficiency (LEP) planning: if a language is spoken by 1,000 or more people or by at least 5% of the population, an agency must develop a language-access plan. Using 2023 U.S. Census estimates, staff reported Spanish-language counts in the range of ‘‘909 approximately 992 people’’ as presented; staff said they will hire a consultant to survey actual demand for bilingual services and to prepare a formal language-access plan.

The consultant will track how many residents request bilingual services at city offices and customer-service points to refine the plan and identify how Arlington will allocate bilingual resources. Staff framed this as a compliance and operational step tied to federal grant eligibility, and said additional work will follow to finalize the plan.