City of Lawrence
Human Relations Commission
May 21, 2008 Minutes
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MEMBERS PRESENT: |
Chair Bessie Walker, Vice Chair Lori Tapahonso, Commissioners Bob Augelli, James Dunn, Ernesto Hodison, and Kevin Johnson.
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Commissioners Ray Chao, Barbara Hillmer, and Terri Wilke
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STAFF PRESENT: |
Interim Director Toni Wheeler Human Relations Specialists Paul Winn, Michelle Smith, and Human Relations Associate Cynthia Colbert
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STAFF ABSENT:
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None |
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PUBLIC PRESENT: |
Mrs. Nancy Dunn |
Chair Walker called the meeting of the Lawrence Human Relations Commission to order at 11:08 AM in the LHRD Conference Room.
ROLL CALL
Roll call revealed a quorum of the Commission was present.
Commissioner Hodison arrived at 11:10 a.m.
ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA FOR MAY 21, 2008
Commissioner Augelli moved that the agenda for May 21, 2008 be accepted. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
ACCEPTANCE OF STAFF REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 1 TO APRIL 30, 2008
Commissioner Johnson moved that the staff report for February 1 to April 30, 2008 be accepted with a date correction to the Staff Report. Commissioner Vice-Chair Tapahonso seconded the motion. Motion carried.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 20, 2008
Commissioner Dunn moved that the minutes for the February 20, 2008 meeting be accepted. Commissioner Hodison seconded the motion. Motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS
Interim Director Wheeler gave an update on the division status. She noted that she continues to serve as the Interim Human Relations Executive Director. She stated the City’s budget continues to be challenged because of slow growth in the construction industry, lack of growth in the appraised value of properties, and stagnant sales tax receipts. Director Wheeler said the revenue coming into the city is not matching what it has been in years past, so with that in mind, the City Manager has asked all departments, especially those that are funded out of the general fund, like the Legal Department, to maintain existing staffing levels until such time as the budget improves. She noted the public should not notice any changes in the level of service to the community. Human Relations staff is working very hard to maintain the same level of service that has been provided in the past. In addition, formal complaint cases are being investigated as thoroughly as in the past. The department outreach efforts are continuing and changes are being implemented that hopefully will provide better service to the commission and to the community.
Commissioner Hodison asked Director Wheeler if her current workload and overall responsibilities would cause any difficulty in providing the necessary assistance from her to the division. Director Wheeler assured that although she does have a number of responsibilities she is able to give the Human Relations division and staff the attention and time it requires from her. She gave several examples of effective interaction between her and division staff.
HUD National Fair Housing Training & Policy Conference Report with Acknowledgement of Commissioner James Dunn
Director Wheeler said she, HRS Smith, Commissioner James Dunn and Staff Attorney Scott Miller attended the annual conference in April. She noted it was the 40th Annual Conference and also celebrated the 40th year of the Fair Housing Act. She said everyone received excellent information on issues in fair housing, nationwide trends, and advice on how to implement and enforce local fair housing laws. Director Wheeler commended Commissioner James Dunn on his commitment to attend the conference.
HRS Smith said she attended the training sessions on reasonable modifications and accommodations. In addition, she attended sessions on faith-based grants. She said the information will be helpful with one of her current complaint cases. Marian O. Williams, who filed the first fair housing complaint, was one of the featured speakers at the conference.
Commissioner James Dunn said it would be a good idea to share the names of authors from the conference, as well as a list of their publications. He said he was impressed with the magnitude of the event and enjoyed all of the sessions offered.
A brief discussion ensued.
2008 Fair Housing Month Activities Report
HRS Smith provided a brief report on the 2008 Fair Housing Month activities. She listed the presenters and topics of the Landlords Seminar. The presenters were all very well-received. She said the Tenants Information Fair, which was held the next day, was well attended. HRS Smith said the attendees asked many questions of the agencies that were there.
Director Wheeler said HR staff has done a good job of putting together quality programs. She shared statistical data on the costs and attendance of the events. She noted the Landlords seminar had 96 attendees, up 9% from 2007. The Tenants Fair drew 130 attendees, up 63% from 2007. She further noted both events were put on with 53% less costs than 2007. This was due to efficient use of funds.
A brief discussion ensued.
Monthly Fact Sheet for LHRC
Director Wheeler said since she became Interim Executive Director, she has challenged HR staff to find innovative ways in which to share information with the LHRC and the community. One of the ideas that came from that was providing the LHRC on a monthly basis, one page of information which serves as a snapshot of what the staff is doing. If anyone ever needs additional information than is on the fact sheet please contact Cynthia Colbert or Director Wheeler. She asked LHRC members for their input on improvement. Commissioner Dunn said it would be good to add the LHRC member names to the fact sheet. Commissioner Hodison said he finds it extremely helpful and was pleased to receive it. Chair Walker concurred. Vice-Chair Tapahonso said it would be good to add any upcoming events.
Online Complaint Form
Director Wheeler said this in keeping with her request to work more efficiently and to better serve the public. She said Cynthia Colbert put together an online complaint form that will be accessible on the internet. She said it will allow someone who believes they have been discriminated against and are entitled to file a complaint under our local ordinance, to begin the complaint filing process. This will save time for staff and be more convenient for Lawrence citizens. A brief discussion ensued.
City Resources Utilization
Director Wheeler shared information in regard to the division’s transition to the Legal Department and its utilization of available resources. She said it has facilitated some greater communication within the city organization and access to some other resources within the organization. There are more opportunities for the HR staff to work with the Legal staff. There has been a lot of case review and work on investigations to make sure they are proceeding efficiently and fairly. The investigators have worked with one of the staff attorneys on a regular basis for case review to make sure they are being handled efficiently and appropriately. There have been staff reviews of the Chapter X laws to ensure that we’re all operating under the same understanding of what various terms mean and how to interpret certain provisions. She said it has been very beneficial. The HR staff has also worked with the city Communications Coordinator, Lisa Patterson, who has helped with developing our advertising plan in such a way that it is efficient and targeted more to our audience.
Community Outreach / Wheeler
Director Wheeler said the division is continuing to conduct community outreach activities. She has been scheduling meetings with a number of people in the community to let them know about the status of the division and that we are still here performing important functions. She noted she attended a recent NAACP meeting and learned of some of the plans they have for their organization and she shared with them of our open door policy. She said she plans to meet with other organizations throughout the summer.
District Court Update
Director Wheeler gave a brief update of the subpoena enforcement efforts in a current fair housing formal complaint investigation.
Equal Opportunity Law Update Seminar 2008
HR Associate Colbert gave a briefing of plans for the 2008 Equal Opportunity Law Update Seminar. In order to keep our seminars and training events fresh and new, the division has decided to make some changes. She noted that rather than a two-day seminar, this year the seminar would be one day and would not include a track for mediators. She said the tentative plans are to hold the seminar October 28th at the Eldridge Hotel. She said the topics have been selected and presenters will soon be selected. CLE and HRCI credits will be available. Early registration should begin sometime in late August. A brief discussion ensued.
COMMISSIONER’S COMMENTS
Vice-Chair Tapahonso shared information that she would no longer be affiliated with Haskell Indian Nations University, so that she may concentrate on her educational goals. Director Wheeler said regardless of the Vice-Chair no longer being affiliated with the university would not affect her ability to serve on the LHRC, since she was appointed by the mayor. A brief discussion ensued.
Commissioner Dunn said he would like to see the HR division hold training on fair housing and mental disabilities. A brief discussion ensued. In addition, he requested that author information from the HUD Conference be shared with the LHRC through the Monthly Fact Sheet. Commissioner Hodison said he appreciates the information provided by the HR division, as well as the many efficiencies implemented by the division. Chair Walker said she appreciates the efforts of the division to become more infused throughout the community. Commissioner Hodison said if possible, it would be good for the written materials and information from the HUD conference be shared with the members that were not in attendance.
HRS Smith noted the upcoming Regional Executive Council on Civil Rights training will be held in Omaha, Nebraska August 20-22, 2008. Commissioner Dunn encouraged LHRC members to attend training as it is offered to them.
PUBLIC COMMENT
NONE
ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner Hodison moved to adjourn. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 12:13 p.m.