 Our quorum number is four for voting. Mm hmm. Well, we just need one more. And Lauren is not coming. Is that right? That's right. Yeah, so we won't have a quorum. We won't have a quorum. We can't vote on anything. And, you know, they're so on the agenda today was check in on the declaration of inclusion. And look at the strategic. Plan for C. Jack. And think about what next steps we need. Um, D. Helen and Michael. Do you feel like there's any discussion to have an absence any kind of voting. Without the other members or we, we kind of stuck. Um, what I, we, we did get one comment. Um, from Peter Tom's about who made some suggestions. So we don't have necessarily vote, but we could, we could discuss those. And if we think that they're, we want to do that, we can. Table remote table and emotion and then circulate the revised. You know, circulate a revised version to the members and vote on it next time. And the same thing with same thing with the plan. We can make, if we want to make some recommendations, we can do that without emotion. I think is that right? We can Kelly, we can. We don't have to make a motion to make recommendations for consideration. So you, you can review. Sort of the materials and, you know, make some recommendations to the committee and then, you know, take them up at the next meeting for sure. Yeah. I mean, I'm comfortable with us looking at Peter's comments. I did look at his word document. The edits are. Kind of. Non-controversial in my opinion. But he did add some other comments too. Jeremy, can you share your script? Is it possible? Thank you. I'll pull up. His comments. Let me. Actually drag them into the document. Just give me one second. Share. I'm going to put Peter's comments. At the very end, I'm going to paste those in. And I will share right now. And I can also share his edits in just a second. So his main comments are. I'm going to put that in the document. I'm going to put that in the document. And I'm going to put that in the document. And even its title was notable name. The declaration of inclusion was not mentioned until the end of the third bullet, about three quarters of the way down. So that's, that's interesting. We want to reference that somewhere in the first paragraph. We're at a statement. Do you want to talk about these one by one or review them all first? Let's talk about them one by one. Okay. Okay. So. While we do have a title, declaration of inclusion. We're not actually mentioning that. Until further down in the document. Is that something we want to address? Well, I thought of it sort of the way in which you see a government problem, you know, proclamations whereas, whereas, whereas, whereas therefore. We can do it. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me. But it does make a whole lot of difference. I mean, you know, I think it's the document. And then he says, I mean, you've got. You've got a title right there at the top. So. Yeah, I tend to agree with you, Michael. On that. And we like the Middlebury is. Right. The, do they use it? Sorry. I don't remember. I have to have my computer. It's interesting. And I think the point here. The actual text is the declaration. The title is clearly. Declaration of inclusion. I think. I think I'm comfortable with it as it is because the thing is the declaration. Yeah, me too. We can say this. Wait, what other members will say. Yeah. Right. Okay. So let's just. Give a check to that one. All right. His next comment. Well, it was the last of three coming out of the paragraph referring to the 2018 creation. See Jack, when the statewide declaration effort had not yet started. Let's see what he's saying there. All right. So this is kind of a timing issue. I didn't understand the point. So we are talking about our committee, right? Not the declaration here. Yeah, that one doesn't quite make sense to me either because we're just noting kind of a historical moment. The city council had established see Jack. And see Jack. Moving forward. Well, and has and moving forward will do these three bullet points, which is inclusive of us. Kind of adopting the declaration of inclusion. So I, I don't. I don't feel that comment is necessarily something we need to incorporate. Yeah, I agree, or we can ask him what he is trying to say, right? He can elaborate a little bit. If everybody wants. But yeah, say Jack and the declaration of inclusion. They are two different things. Yeah. Yeah. The only change I would say is. The end of the fourth paragraph for the vision. The city council established, et cetera. And somehow. Just say the various social by continuing to identify and nurture instead of. I mean, if we want to, if we, if we want to see that we've been doing it already, if that's important thing to say. That's the place to say it continuing to. For that first bullet point there. But I don't think it's really essential. Yeah. Yeah. That's my opinion too. Yeah. The comments, these two comments don't feel substantive enough. To really incorporate. So I would, I would say. You know, thank you, Peter, but. We're good. And they are there just as you said, comments or feedback. So it's not that we need to change anything. It is very nice of him. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This was as we talk. Yeah, they are kind of minor. Minor things. We don't have to change whole text based on them. Okay. Let me pull up his word document because he did have some good. I thought edits. Let me just make this a little bigger. Some of these look like they were already changed. So. I think that. Yeah. Anything in bold he was proposing. Right. And then strike through. I guess the one thing, the one last place. In the last paragraph, the city council and partnership with see Jack will establish a process. He points out that. Assess and review. The same. So just review and evaluate. Our progress in these issues. Yeah, I'm comfortable with that. So you're saying. Helen, what do you think about that? Take out the word, take out the words and assess. Yeah. So process to review and evaluate. Our progress in these issues to ensure that. Yeah. And then the other one. The others, I think are fine. Yeah, I don't know if we, and well, and third, the third paragraph as a city, we formally condemn. I don't know if we need the word formally. We hear by, I don't know. Yeah, yeah, it's, it's a modifier that I don't. It sounds legalistic. Well, Peter is a lawyer, you know, so. Yeah, he was a lawyer. I don't know if he does it. Yeah. Helen, as you're reading through some of these edits. Do you have any opinion. I think I will go with yours and Michael's decision because these are really advanced for me. Okay. It's very much as far as the language. Yeah, but something so. That's fair enough. Well, I. So take out formally and take as he suggests, take out the word all discrimination. Because it's not necessary. We're going to add a, we need to add that in here. Ensure that. And just back and forth here. No, there's the addition of Montpelier up above. That's already there. So take out formally formally where you are. Yeah. We've got adding our C Jack acronym for clarity here. And then down below, we made this change already. We changed it to review and evaluate. Yeah. He's suggesting adding in our account, our last accountability statement to our citizens and to the intention set forth in this declaration. I mean, I like, I like that as a. Sentiment. To. And to the intention set forth in this declaration. Okay. And then we've, like we've missed a word there. What had been. Has been. I believe that's all of his edits. That we'd like to incorporate. I think you said, delete all, right? In the. Yes. Yes. No way. Yeah. As a city, we formally condemn discrimination in all its forms. Yeah. Take out the first all there. Yeah. We got that. We can. I thought you did too. Okay. Did anybody notice I sent around this article from the Times. Argus, which was, was somewhat confusing and disturbing about. High gate. Yeah, I looked at that. I read it and I was wondering if we want to discuss. This and what really they are trying to say, because I went there. Website and try to understand what it's meaning. I couldn't find anything. So it will be great if we discussed. I think it's a good. Good thing that you shared with us, Michael. I guess they had, there's a city manager, right? Or somebody was a spokesperson for. Okay. The select board vice chair, Vern broski explained the move during the, when we signed on, we hadn't quite done our homework and yet. After doing our homework, we're not sure if we want to be associated with that group. So I would, I'd be interested to understand what that means. Is there something about this, that group that we should know. What, what, what is the group? Do you think? Well, I think it's, um, Al, um, Wakefield's group. That it's interesting when you go to the website, they don't identify themselves as an organization. There's no name for the organization. It's just declaration. Yeah, I don't, I don't think. My understanding it's not an organization. It's in. It's Al. And I think two other folks. Coming together as concerned citizens. Kind of organizing a movement. To get this decoration. Kind of off the ground in cities around Vermont. Yeah. So can you reach out that person. The select board member or spoke person and. It is not really very clear and it creates some kind of suspicion, which. Is interesting. So. I don't know what he meant, but now I, I have a, like, okay, should we, should we also investigate what's happening? But it wasn't clear what he's trying to say. Yeah. I have to, so my. My interpretation. The kind of ambiguity and lack of specifics. I don't think that. I think that raises alarm bells for me in terms of the motivation of the city council and rescinding. The declaration. It, it just speaks of strategies. That are often used to kind of. Under my anti racist work. So I. I don't find it credible. And my, my kind of read. I don't find it credible. I don't find it credible. I don't find it credible. I don't find it credible. But. Again, that's just my personal opinion. And not the, the committee's opinion. Yeah, I think we have to be cautious, cautious here, but I think cautious at both, on both sides. I mean, I'm not willing to take the. High gate as, as. You know, as an authoritative condemnation. I think we should be cautious here. Especially since there are no specifics as Pellin points out. On the other hand, this has been, you know, thrown in our face. And I think we should just. At least. Understand a little bit better. What, what's going on. If, if you, if, unless you object to it, I could put, I could try to put in a phone call and see if I could get. Some more information from. The spokes. What was his name? Verne brusky. Yeah. And see if he wants to talk about it at all. And also from this group, right. The declaration of inclusion group. We should listen to their side. They might have more details too. Yeah, we cannot only, you know, ask one side. So I guess that means a phone call to. To Al Wakefield. Or you see the only person who, who's name. We know from this, whatever, whatever it is, organization or coalition or working group or whatever, whatever they're calling themselves. Do we know anybody else? I'm checking the website. Contact us. There's three individuals named J Alvin Wakefield out Wakefield. Bob Harnish. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I'm, I'm certainly fine with that, Michael. I mean, we do have time. We're not going to be able to vote this forward until the next time we meet. Anyway. Okay. So if, if you feel you could do some digging. I think it's worthwhile. Okay. Well. I have other things on my desk, but I can, I can do it sometime later today. We'll get started on that later today. Okay. Thanks. And it's okay for me to say that I'm calling on behalf of our committee, right? Yeah. As a member, sure. I have your, I have your agreement on that. Okay. Absolutely. Okay. So. I think where we're at is the language of the declaration. Seems settle based on some feedback that we've discussed. We did get feedback from Lauren in her email that she feels it's solid. But again, I think we can't, we can't vote it forward to. You kind of start. Maybe sharing it more broadly. And getting it ready for city council. Until we have a quorum. And then secondly, Michael's going to do a little bit of investigation about this high gate. Situation. Have I got everything on the declaration? Okay. I'm seeing no disagreement. Question for you, Kelly. Are there supposed to be minutes for meetings that are not, that have no quorum and take no. Voted action. So because it's sort of more of like a working session, there's not a majority of you here. You wouldn't necessarily need minutes because it would be as though, you know, it wouldn't be an official meeting. However, it might not be a bad idea just to capture. The general comments for the group so that then you can kind of just keep things moving forward. That was a purely selfish question. You understand. Whether I have to write another set of minutes. I think, I think Michael, in my opinion, I will want, I appreciate you doing that. I think it's a few bullet points of the highlights. And maybe more importantly for our committee. Colleagues is. Kind of those next steps. That we just outlined. So that they are aware of what's going on between now and the next time we meet. Okay. So then the next question. Is. Well, I have an opinion. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if we have a plan and kind of checking in on. You know, what other actions to take. Do you all feel. We should start discussing that or without. Kind of our quorum. Should we wait on that? Well, and we have been discussing it. And I'm not sure where we've left off. Exactly. Part of the problem of taking minutes is I either focus on the minutes or I focus on what the conversation. But, um, I mean, I'm not opposed to discussing it anymore. I'm not quite sure where we're going to go in that discussion. And if you will discuss again with the larger group. Then maybe we should wait because it will be like repetitive for us. Yeah. Um, yeah, but it's, it's up to you. Yeah. Both of you. Um, I think Pella and I tend to agree with you. We. We are kind of at a loss in terms of making decisions. Um, and I think. The strategic plan work is about making decisions because we have to decide. Okay. Who's doing what, what's our next step. Um, so I, I would support that. Like, I think we could. Table that until we are all together again in a couple of weeks. Um, and that's on Michael. Is it my, um, Am I correct that the plan was to try to have our strategic plan ready for the time when the city council starts to talk about its strategic plan? Is that right? That's, that was. We were working around the, the coincidence of those two. Um, so I, I would support that. Like, I think we could table that until we are all together again in a couple of weeks. Um, and, you know, I think we could probably do. When Kelly, when does, when does the council start? We're talking about its strategic plan. Um, so we probably will have everything. Um, On the eighth as we onboard new members and to get everybody up to speed. Um, and so there's that the eighth though is going to be a pretty. Uh, You know, of the land kind of things, some strategic items for sure and then the 22nd probably you know we'll get into a little bit more of that. And so in terms of the timeframe I think you know bringing this forward as part of a conversation with the council probably the 22nd or the you know first April meeting. Michael I missed I think a key meeting at the end of last in December about this so I am probably a little less clear. My understanding was we had kind of I started to identify some different tactics in each of the quarters of this coming year and we need to kind of start to mobilize around those but I there could be another dimension here that I'm not aware of about kind of checking in with council and making sure we're all on the same page but so my confusion is something that I feel like I need help from the full council to clarify our full committee sorry. Yeah well I'm okay with leading it at that. Okay then I think our next meetings agenda we're going to kind of hear back from you Michael about the declaration what you've discovered at Highgate we're going to get the full committee together to just confirm that our draft is solid and then figure out how we start to I think socialize it move it forward and then we'll just continue to have the strategic plan on the agenda as well so that makes sense for everything. Okay thumbs up Helen. Yeah I think I think unless anyone has anything else we can go ahead and end early today. So when would the next meeting be? So you're thinking let's see here all right weeks from now the first is that yeah we're on a two weeks two week cycle okay. So yep if we can get that warned and the link set up. Awesome thanks. Okay all right well good to see you all thank you. Thank you Jeremy and Michael, Kelly. See you next time.