POCATELLO -- The Pocatello City Council has put its stamp of approval on a resolution confirming the City’s status as a “welcoming and inclusive” city.
At Thursday’s regular City Council meeting, Councilmembers voted to approve the resolution that states “The City of Pocatello celebrates and values its long-standing tradition of welcoming visitors and newcomers to this beautiful valley, and creating a vibrant, diverse community where all of our residents feel welcomed, safe, and able to fully participate in, and contribute to, our city’s economic and social life. Further, the City “reaffirms its values of inclusion, respect, and justice and the city’s commitment toward actions to reinforce these values. We have a dream of continuing to cultivate a culture of harmony and inclusion.” Pocatellans are also “encouraged to do their part in reaching out and welcoming all those who live in and visit our great City.”
“From our beginning, Pocatello has always been a diverse community,” said Mayor Brian Blad. “Welcoming and including everyone are part of our everyday traditions. In addition, the resolution dovetails perfectly with the City’s mission statement, which states ‘Pocatello is a vibrant community promoting a high quality of life through innovation, growth, respect, inclusiveness and pride in who we are.’”
The idea for the resolution was brought to the City of Pocatello Human Relations Advisory Committee (HRAC) by Dr. Larry Gebhardt. From there, the resolution was drafted and presented to the City Council by the HRAC.
“Since its inception, the HRAC has advocated for human and civil rights in Pocatello,” said Rituraj Yadav, Chair of the City of Pocatello Human Relations Advisory Committee. “This resolution reaffirms the City’s commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion.”
To view the full resolution, visit bit.ly/2ScI5rl.
For more information on the Human Relations Advisory Committee, visit pocatello.us/273/Human-Relations.