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Accepting the gift of travel, lodging, and conference registration expenses from PolicyLink for Director Muneer Karcher-Ramos, Office of Financial Empowerment, to attend the Fines and Fees Justice Boot Camp from March 8-9, 2022 and the Government Alliance for Racial Equity Annual Meeting from April 19-21, 2022.
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WHEREAS, national studies have shown that municipal fines and fees can impose a crushing burden on low-income residents and aggressive debt collection practices can further exacerbate the financial strain on low-income residents; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Melvin Carter and the City Council have supported fines and fees justice efforts led by the Office of Financial Empowerment by accepting previous grants for this work (RES-PH 19-281; RES-PH 20-166); and
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Empowerment participated in the inaugural cohort of Fines and Fees Justice led by PolicyLink to support localities that want to assess and reform fines, fees, tickets, and financial penalties that often have an adverse and disproportionate impact on low-income people and people of color and who are looking for innovators in city and county government who want to take a leadership role in advancing fair and just policies to champion racial equity and smart government (RES-PH 20-166); and
WHEREAS, Director Muneer Karcher-Ramos, Office of Financial Empowerment, was invited by PolicyLink to present at the Fines and Fees Justice Boot Camp in Phoenix, Arizona from March 8-9, 2022 and the Government Alliance for Racial Equity Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon from April 19-21, 2022, alongside Fines and Fees Justice Center, the City and County of San Francisco, the City of Chicago, the City of Philadelphia about activities completed under the Cities and Counties for Fines and Fees Justice grant; and
WHEREAS, PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity and has offered to cover travel, lodging, and conference registration expenses for Director Karcher-Ramos to attend the Boot Camp and Conference; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Saint Paul finds that attendance at these convenings benefits the City by providing an opportunity for participants to engage in sessions to develop strategies, obtain relevant and up-to-date knowledge on operations and to connect with other municipalities who have also participated in fines and fees justice strategies; now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council accepts the gift of travel, lodging, and conference registration expenses, totaling $1698.13, for Director Karcher-Ramos to attend the convenings and thanks PolicyLink for its generous gift.