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Home My WebLink AboutHUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION - MINUTES - 02/13/20252/13/25 – MINUTES Human Relations Commission REGULAR MEETING Thursday, February 13, 2025 – 5:30 PM City Hall: CIC Conference Room, 300 Laporte Ave and Microsoft Teams 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:30 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Commission Members Present – Beth Jaeger (Chair), Barb Kistler (Vice Chair), Phil Walker, Rachel Bryan, Masood Ahmad b. Commission Members Absent – Coronda Ziegler and Teresa Cribelli c. Staff Members Present – Liz Messenger, Lead Equity & Inclusion Specialist d. Guest(s) – None Chair Jaeger noted Miho Yoshioka has resigned from the Commission and commended her thoughtful perspective and energy around the work of the Commission. Additionally, she noted Commission member Walker is term limited at the end of March and Commission member Ziegler has opted to not reapply. She stated interviews have just been completed and the hope is that the Commission will have a full slate of members beginning in April. 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Jaeger reviewed the agenda items. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JANUARY 9, 2025 Commission member Bryan motioned to approve the January 9, 2025, minutes. Commission member Ahmad seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. 6. BUDGET REVIEW Chair Jaeger stated the Commission’s 2025 budget is approximately $5,900-$6,000. Chair Jaeger introduced Fatima Prieto, the new EDI Advisory Board liaison, to the Commission members who were not present at the January meeting. 2/13/25 – MINUTES 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Update Regarding Potential Collaboration with JEDI Coalition Vice Chair Kistler stated the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Coalition is an ad hoc group put together by the County that meets monthly to bring together people who are interested in equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility issues. She stated the Coalition partnered with CSU’s Symposium on Excellence in October to host a networking event, which is similar to what the Commission did twice last year; therefore, she, Chair Jaeger, and Messenger attended the recent Coalition meeting to discuss possible collaboration opportunities. She stated they proposed forming a subgroup of members of each entity to discuss a collaboration moving forward. Vice Chair Kistler noted the County has made the decision not to change any of the language in its strategic plan around its DEI goals at this point. She discussed work being done by the Coalition and another entity around ‘know your rights’ for businesses, non-profits, and board members, particularly as related to the current immigration issues. Commission member Ahmad asked what type of collaboration is being sought by the Commission. Chair Jaeger replied that the collaboration would be similar to the relationship with the Human Library wherein the two entities would plan together for certain community events. Vice Chair Kistler noted only two Commission members could serve on any potential subgroup. Vice Chair Kistler motioned that the Commission approve a meeting with the JEDI Coalition to explore collaboration on any networking event that would be hosted this year. Commission member Walker seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. Vice Chair Kistler noted she and Commission member Ziegler have collated input received from the Commission’s two networking events in February and September of 2024 and suggested it may be beneficial to get those notes to Laurie Kadrich at the County, Council liaison Emily Francis, and to City staff. Vice Chair Kistler motioned that the Commission send the final summary report to Emily Francis, Laurie Kadrich, and Claudia Menendez by March 1st. Commission member Ahmad seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. 8. OLD BUSINESS a. Committee Reports Chair Jaeger noted the Commission received a thank you note from Heart and 2/13/25 – MINUTES Soul for considering it for the annual Human Relations award. • Community Recognition Commission Member Bryan noted December 10th is Human Rights Day and December 11th is available for the HRC Awards. Members discussed holding the event on Human Rights Day itself. Commission member Bryan motioned that the Commission hold the annual award ceremony on December 10th with December 11th as a potential back-up date. Commission member Ahmad seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. Members discussed the timeline and length for the awards event. Commission member Bryan motioned to hold the reception from 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM and the ceremony to begin at 4:30 PM and end at 5:30 PM on December 10th with a backup date of December 11th. Vice Chair Kistler seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. Members discussed the venue for the awards event. Vice Chair Kistler expressed support for holding the event in Council Chambers and in the lobby of City Hall. Commission member Bryan motioned to hold the awards event at City Hall. Commission member Walker seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. Members discussed the award categories, including the potential for a new rising star category. Vice Chair Kistler suggested forming a potential rubric for award selection criteria. Chair Jaeger noted nominations were opened in June of last year and stated that was beneficial. Members outlined items to be discussed at the April meeting, including award categories and the formation of a rubric. • Education Outreach Messenger stated she may be helping as a panel member for a neurodiversity educational event and stated Commission member Cribelli has additional information. She provided a brief summary of the plan for the event, including pre-set questions with a moderator and a question-and-answer session. Members discussed deciding on the date, location, and details of the 2/13/25 – MINUTES event at the March meeting. • Government Relations Vice Chair Kistler noted there was a homeless camp sweep a few weeks ago and there was some associated public comment and a Police Services presentation at a recent Council meeting. She also noted accessory dwelling units are now allowed per a State mandate and stated another recent topic has been around the Connexion Workers’ Coalition, which has yet to be recognized by the City. In terms of State issues, Vice Chair Kistler noted the budget is already moving into a severe deficit partially as voters approved a large sum of funding for police training. Additionally, there have been many questions at the State level regarding what it is doing to protect its citizens, particularly immigrants, given the new federal administration. Vice Chair Kistler stated she would be reaching out to Mayor Pro Tem Francis for guidance on the City’s DEI initiatives and commitment moving forward. Messenger stated staff has received direction that nothing should change as of now and she read a message from City Manager DiMartino noting that the City’s core mission, vision, and values have not changed, and that the City remains committed to its inclusion, equity, diversity, and accessibility work. Members discussed the recent homeless camp sweep and restrictions of shelters in the community that may prevent more individuals from utilizing those services. Members also discussed the newly approved 250-bed shelter for men that will be built on North College. Chair Jaeger reported on facilitating a recent forum with State representatives and topics being related to executive actions and immigrant rights. She stated the State representatives are doing as much as they can in terms of resisting and stated she felt a positive energy about the community in the room. She announced an upcoming issue forum focused on immigrant rights. Chair Jaeger stated she sent the Commission’s annual report to Mayor Pro Tem Francis who offered an enthusiastic and complimentary response. • Executive 9. ANNOUNCEMENTS Prieto announced the EDI Board will be meeting with Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen. 2/13/25 – MINUTES 10. NEXT STEPS a. Meeting Action Items b. Next Meeting – March 13, 2025 – BIPOC Alliance Chair Jaeger noted Messenger has arranged for representatives from the BIPOC Alliance to attend the March meeting. 11. ADJOURNMENT a. 6:50 PM Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 03/13/2025 Signature: