City of Lawrence

Lawrence Human Relations Commission

November 18, 2010

Minutes

 

Members Present:  James Dunn, Jason Barnhill, Dan Coke, Kirsten Krug, Laura Diaz Moore, Michael Allen, Kevin Johnson

 

Members Excused:  Lori Tapahonso, Scott Criqui

 

Staff Present:  Toni Ramirez Wheeler, Cal Thoman, and Scott Wagner

 

Public Present:  Mrs. James Dunn, Chad Lawhorn

______________________________________________________________________

 

Commission Meeting Called to Order

The Lawrence Human Relations Commission Meeting was called to order by Chair, James Dunn, at 11:00 a.m. in the City Commission Room at City Hall, located at 6 East 6th Street, Lawrence, Kansas.

 

Acceptance of Agenda

Chairman Dunn asked the commission if there were any additional agenda items for consideration.  No additional items were offered.  Commissioner Barnhill moved to accept the agenda as presented and it was seconded by Commissioner Krug.  The motion was unanimously approved.

 

Approval of Minutes

Chair James Dunn asked for commission comments on the commission minutes from the August 19, 2010 meeting.  Chairman Dunn offered additional language regarding the Community Commission on Homelessness meeting he attended.

 

It was moved by Commissioner Krug and seconded by Commissioner Johnson to approve the August 19, 2010 minutes of the Lawrence Human Relations Commission, as amended.  The motion was unanimously approved.

 

Staff Report

Toni Wheeler, Director of the Legal Department provided background on the draft by-laws before the commission.  She noted that the idea for by-laws arose from the gender identity discussion when there were questions about procedure for reconsideration of an issue before the body.  Staff was requested to look at by-laws for commission consideration.  Staff researched other City boards and commissions and also reviewed human relations by-laws from other cities.  The draft by-laws before the commission today are presented as a starting point for discussion.  The commission may wish to study the issue further, suggest changes or may choose not to adopt by-laws.

 

Commission discussion followed regarding the draft by-laws.  Several changes were suggested.  The commission wished to change the attendance requirements in Article 8.  The commission reduced the number of unexcused absences from three (3) to two (2) that would trigger the automatic resignation provisions.  The commission also added a provision that would provide notice to the member following the second unexcused absence.  The commission also wished to add the attendance recommendations from the Scottsdale, Arizona human relations commission by-laws.

 

Director Wheeler noted that the commission could refer the changes back to staff for a future agenda or adopt the by-laws as amended today.  If adopted today, the changes would be made by staff and adopted version of the by-laws would be emailed out to commissioners.

 

Commissioner Krug motioned to approve the by-laws as amended.  It was seconded by Commissioner Barnhill.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

Director Wheeler reported on recent outreach events.  The fall Arts and Craft Festival was held at South Park on September 12th.  Commissioner Tapahonso coordinated a display on fair housing and provided information brochures.  The Festival of Cultures was held at South Park on September 26th.  Commissioners Tapahonso, Criqui and Dunn were in attendance and hosted a table that displayed fair housing and other informational brochures.

 

City Prosecutor Cal Thoman presented the case report.  Currently, there are two active cases in the division.  Both are fair housing complaints.  One case involves the protected class of familial status.  The other case is based upon failure to provide a reasonable accommodation.  One case has been closed since the last commission meeting – a fair housing case.

 

Mr. Thoman reported on the Fundamentals of Fair Housing School training he attended October 24-29, 2010 in Coral Gables, Florida.  The training was hosted by the National Fair Housing Alliance.  Mr. Thoman noted that the training involved lectures, course work, case studies and hands-on application of fair housing investigative techniques spanning six eight hour days.  Areas of focus included The Fair Housing Act, Fair Housing Regulations, Disability Laws, jurisdictional issues, complaint intake and processing, investigative techniques, case law studies and hypothetical fair housing case studies patterned after real cases.  The training proved invaluable for anyone engaged in the field of Fair Housing investigation and case preparation.

 

Commission Items

Commissioner Tapahonso provided a written report from the HUD sponsored National Fair Housing Policy Conference training she attended in July.  Chairman Dunn discussed the above Festival of Cultures and encouraged continued commission partnership with the Lawrence Alliance on this event.  Chairman Dunn also inquired about any plans for April 2011 and Fair Housing Month.  Director Wheeler noted that staff would respond to commission direction and would also begin planning outreach for Fair Housing Month.

 

Director Wheeler stated that the gender identity report is on the future City Commission agenda memo, but that it has not been scheduled yet for City Commission consideration.  She stated that when the report is scheduled, she would notify the commission and request their attendance at the meeting.

 

Public Comment

There were no additional public comments.

 

The Human Relations Commission meeting was adjourned at 11:48 a.m.