The Minneapolis City Council has approved a new affirmative action plan aimed at further improving diversity in its employment policies. The new plan seeks to meld the city's diversity and inclusion philosophy with leadership development, cultural awareness and competence, targeted recruiting, mentoring, and intern and talent management programs to ensure that the diversity efforts are sustainable.

The new plan modifies the city's original affirmative action plan, written in 1983, which establishes the requirement that "all city departments, boards, commissioners, or agencies shall develop affirmative action plans, including goals and timetables for the hiring, promoting, and retention of minorities, women, and persons who are handicapped, and for the purchases of goods and services from women and minorities." "In the days of old, affirmative action plans were mostly about compliance, but here at the city of Minneapolis, we can do better than just comply, and that's why this plan is designed to help make the city better reflect the demographics of the diverse communities it serves," said Mayor R.T. Rybak in a statement.

The city's Human Resources department led the effort to revise the existing affirmative action plan and worked with elected officials, department leaders and community groups over several years to develop the plan. Read the entire affirmative action plan.