Participating in the 2025 cohort of ICMA’s Leadership Institute on Race, Equity, and Inclusion provided the opportunity to connect with other government professionals doing the work of equity—each in their own way and with the intent of making a positive difference in the lives of every member of their respective community.

For me personally, it provided the framework and structure to develop a capstone project that I could use to further the work in my own jurisdiction and to share what I learned with other local government professionals across ICMA’s membership. Specifically, my capstone was focused on building a resource guide to operationalize equity through the lens of compliance with Title II of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. These are two critical yet often forgotten pieces of legislation and adherence to them is essential to ensuring foundational access to local government programs and services.

As the first Title II and Title VI coordinator for Washoe County, Nevada, I quickly realized that we did not have the foundational resources in place for me to (1) serve effectively in this capacity and (2) educate the organization on why they should care about compliance with these two federal laws. It is from this lens that the idea for my capstone began to take shape. I would build what I did not have—a practical set of resources, a toolkit if you will, that I could use to educate county departments on how to increase compliance with these federal laws, and perhaps most importantly, increase the equitable impact of service delivery in our community.

As the resource guide began to take shape, and we held discussions within our Leadership Institute cohort, it also became clear that I was not the only one serving in this capacity without a playbook. In building the resource guide, it was important to me that the finished product be one that would give back to the ICMA community. 

It should serve as a model for how local governments both small and large can get up and running with implementing compliance in these two areas and making measurable impact on equity outcomes within their community.

In researching and preparing the Operationalizing Equity Resource Guide, and in choosing to keep it manageable for initial implementation, I chose to focus on the following key components:

• Sample guidelines, plans, and checklists for key areas of compliance, such as language access.
• Community engagement.
• Equity budget practices.
• Key performance indicators for measuring impact,
• Complaint procedures and forms.
• Staff training.
• Resources for further education.

For any local government staff looking to improve equity outcomes and operationalize the work, I encourage you to explore the resource guide and take any or all of it back to your local jurisdiction for implementation. Access the guide here.

Through compliance with Title II of the ADA and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and utilizing the resource guide, local governments can continue the work of building more equitable and inclusive communities and workplaces for those they serve.

ELIZABETH JOURDIN is management services officer of Washoe County, Nevada, USA.