Meeting_Body
FINANCE, BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE
MAY 19, 2021
Subject
SUBJECT: FY22 METRO BUDGET EQUITY ASSESSMENT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE update on FY22 Metro Budget Equity Assessment.
Issue
ISSUE
During the Executive Management Committee meeting on September 17, 2020, Director Garcetti requested that an Equity Assessment Tool be used to evaluate the FY21 Mid-Year Budget report as well as each Annual Budget moving forward. After an initial pilot application of the Metro Budget Equity Assessment Tool (MBEAT) (Attachment A) to 25 new or expanded scope budget requests during the FY21 Mid-Year Budget Review, the MBEAT was applied to the FY22 Annual Budget development process.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro believes that access to opportunity should be at the center of decision-making around public investments and services. Equity means that Metro's service delivery, project delivery, policymaking, and distribution of resources account for the different histories, challenges, and needs of communities across Los Angeles County; it is what we are striving towards.
After an unprecedented and extremely challenging year, it is clearer than ever that Metro must work to center equity in everything we do. As the region emerges from the pandemic and public health crisis, Metro's role in connecting all people in Los Angeles to daily life destinations remains critical. Centering equity means prioritizing the most marginalized communities, including those that continue to rely on Metro's essential service, as we conduct our essential work for the region.
Agency budgets are a reflection of agency values. The MBEAT provides Metro with a tool to intentionally consider and embed equity into the Annual Budget process. It introduces a way to measure equity, on par with other performance measures that Metro tracks such as service, environmental impacts, and cost efficiencies. The long-term goal of the MBEAT is ...
Click here for full text