JACKSON, Wyo. — Town Council unanimously voted to dissolve the Equity Task Force (ETF), after Wyoming prohibited governmental entities from engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams sponsored House Bill 147 — Prohibition of Institutional Discrimination, which specifies that “no governmental entity shall engage in
any diversity, equity or inclusion program, activity or policy that promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals or classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin.”
In January 2021, Town Council directed staff to create an ETF to help develop a more equitable, inclusive and diverse local government and a more livable community overall, per staff notes. Town Council interviewed and appointed nine Task Force members in February 2022, and monthly ETF meetings began in April 2022.
The ETF made recommendations to Town staff and Town Council twice annually for developing inclusion-building initiatives, policies and programs.
In its first two years, the ETF recommended: housing for seniors and an Assisted Living Center, translating documents and Town signs into Spanish, connecting with Native American Tribal members, adding a chapter focused on equity to the Comprehensive Plan, alternate-side on-street parking in the winter months, an internal Equity Audit at the Town of Jackson and taking steps to make the Town more accessible.
Town Council said during its meeting that the task force should be dissolved to comply with the Wyoming statute.
