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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION - MINUTES - 06/12/20256/12/25 – MINUTES Human Relations Commission REGULAR MEETING Thursday, June 12, 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), Rachel Bryan, Teresa Cribelli, Kori Wilford, Diana Prieto, Everton Brossus b. Commission Members Absent – Masood Ahmad c. Staff Members Present – d. Guest(s) – None 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Jaeger reviewed the agenda items. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Danyel Addes, CSU Coordinator of Community Engaged Learning, introduced herself. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 8, 2025 Commission member Cribelli motioned to approve the May 8, 2025 minutes. Vice Chair Kistler seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. Members thanked the City for funding the minutes. 6. BUDGET REVIEW Chair Jaeger stated there is $5,900 in the budget, $2,000 of which will be allocated to the Human Relations Awards. She noted there are plans for a summer networking event, a fall networking event, and the neurodiversity educational program, each of which would likely average $1,500 in expenses, putting the Commission over budget by about $600. Messenger noted the City is in a budget crunch and significant cuts are needed to continue service as is therefore, the Equity Office will no longer be able to fund 6/12/25 – MINUTES facility rentals for the Commission. She noted the July event has already been scheduled and will be funded. Chair Jaeger asked if donations can be accepted from outside organizations to help support the Commission’s meetings. Messenger replied that is a possibility through City Give. Commission member Brossus asked if donations could be made in the form of food or other non-monetary contributions. Messenger replied she would look into that possibility. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Update: July “NoCo Community Connections and Belonging” picnic and collaboration with the JEDI Coalition Vice Chair Kistler stated a small group of the JEDI Coalition has been meeting to discuss having a July celebration as proposed by the Commission. She stated the group is fundamentally supportive of the idea. She stated the plan is for a July 16th social event in the late afternoon/evening. She also noted the JEDI Coalition is working on the November event in conjunction with the CSU Symposium which is planned to be more of a healing-centered engagement event rather than a networking event. She stated the Commission will likely be asked for a co-sponsorship in the form of funding; however, it may not be possible for that to occur given the JEDI Coalition is not a governmental entity. Messenger stated she would look into that issue. Vice Chair Kistler noted the Commission needs to decide whether to participate in the July event, and if so, what it should be called given ‘belonging’ is on the official list of terms not to be used per the federal government. Messenger noted ‘belonging’ is one of the City’s values and the term can absolutely be used. Members discussed the event title, and it was noted that the terms are not illegal. Additionally, Vice Chair Kistler noted the HRC is the main host of the event. Commission member Wilford noted she is working on a flyer for the event. Commissioner Brossus supported the idea of the event as a networking occasion. He asked about the possibility of inviting other Board and Commission members. Messenger stated inviting other Board and Commission members to the event would likely make the event a public meeting. It was noted that the last networking event was not posted as a public meeting because no HRC business was discussed. Chair Jaeger stated she would like to be able to invite other Board and Commission members. Messenger stated she could have a conversation with 6/12/25 – MINUTES Davina in the City Clerk’s Office to ensure proper channels are followed. Vice Chair Kistler asked if Council members should be invited. Members concurred they should be invited. Members discussed the timing of the event and Vice Chair Kistler and Commission member Wilford stated they would work on activities for the event. Commissioner Brossus made a motion, seconded by Commission member Wilford, to continue with the NoCo Community Connections and Belonging event on July 16th. Motion passed 7-0. Vice Chair Kistler stated she would put together a list of ‘to do’ items once the flyer is completed. She also clarified the event is not an open to the public announced event; therefore there will be no social media announcements and invitations will go out via email. b. Update: June 17th Boards and Commissions Joint Meeting Chair Kistler commented on the Commission’s conversation regarding building relationships between Boards and Commissions with similar missions and exploring opportunities for collaboration in terms of idea and resource sharing. She stated the June 17th meeting will have representatives from the Disability Advisory Board, Senior Advisory Board, and Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board. She stated the plan for the event is simply a meet and greet with a light supper after the Juneteenth proclamation. Commission member Cribelli suggested a topic for discussion could be around the restriction on joint Board and Commission meetings. Commission member Brossus suggested a topic for discussion could be related to event collaboration. Messenger noted there will be a joint community reception in the garden on June 17th from 4:00 to 4:50 prior to the reading of the Bike Month and Juneteenth proclamations. c. Update: 2026 Human Library Program (**Secretary’s Note: The following discussion occurred following the end of the Community Recognition item) Chair Jaeger noted she and Vice Chair Kistler were contacted by the Museum’s co-executive director about information being included in the grant application for the Human Library Program, which will be submitted next week. 6/12/25 – MINUTES 8. OLD BUSINESS a. Committee Reports • Community Recognition: Update re: December 11, 2025 Human Relations Awards Commission member Bryan stated form language and the website will be updated prior to the award nomination period being opened on July 10th. She requested members continue to brainstorm individuals and organizations for nominations. Commission member Bryan commented on the target audience for the event, which includes previous attendees of HRC events and a more casual list of contacts that includes City volunteers. Additionally, she discussed reminders and social media scheduling a month, two weeks, one week, and one day prior to the event. She asked if the Commission would need to pay for flyers and printing. Chair Jaeger replied in the affirmative. Members discussed when to send out invitations for the July 16th event and it was noted RSVP’s will be requested. Members also discussed the various email lists that are utilized for which types of events. (**Secretary’s Note: The following discussion occurred after the Education Outreach item.) Commission member Bryan noted the call for nominations is public and will be announced on the City’s social media. Additionally, emails will go out. She stated nominations will be open July 10th through October 31st. Members discussed the timeline for sending out reminders regarding the call for nominations. • Education Outreach: Update re: Neurodiversity Educational Program Commission member Brossus stated he met with Commission member Cribelli to discuss some of the program breakdown and strategies for the Neurodiversity Educational Program. Additionally, he met with Disability Advisory Board (DAB) members who expressed initial interest in collaborating with the HRC on the event. He stated the next step will be meeting with Daisy Montgomery, the DAB Vice Chair, to discuss the actual event and what types of resources she can provide. It was noted the DAB will be hosting its annual award ceremony on October 20th and this program is planned for October 23rd and it was clarified the DAB does want to market the event collaboratively. Commission member Brossus noted the program will include a panel 6/12/25 – MINUTES discussion with presenters who have a mix of neurodiverse backgrounds, a therapist who specializes in neurodiversity, and potentially a caregiver. Members discussed attending the DAB awards ceremony. • Government Relations: Update Commission member Prieto noted the Supreme Court recently unanimously decided a case related to discrimination and found that the heighted standard of background circumstances is not constitutional. Essentially the finding means everyone should be considered as an individual and fairness, consistency, and due process mean equal protection under Title VII. Additionally, Commission member Prieto commented on some recent state bills that were signed by the Governor following the legislative session, including one providing legal protections for transgendered individuals that includes definitions, one protecting access to gender- affirming healthcare, an amendment to the anti-discrimination act that focuses on disability and consolidating damage provisions for individuals with disabilities who experience an unfair housing practice, discrimination in places of public accommodation, or a violation of their civil rights, one related to comprehensive Black history and culture education in K-12 which requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards related to Black historical and cultural studies by July 1 of 2026, one related to diabetes prevention and obesity treatment that requires insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment of the chronic disease of obesity, one protecting civil rights immigration status, and one removing the term ‘homosexuality’ from the definition of sexual conduct in the Colorado Criminal Code. Vice Chair Kistler commented on last week’s City Council meeting during which a member of the Indigenous community who brought a staff to the meeting was asked to relocate given the rules of the Chamber which do not allow props of a certain size. Ultimately, many members of the Indigenous community left the meeting. She stated the event spurred some heavy conversations related to bringing those groups back to mend some of the hurt that was caused. Chair Jaeger encouraged members to watch the video of the meeting and suggested it may be appropriate for Commission members to help with some of the healing efforts. Commission member Cribelli thanked Commission member Prieto for the information and commented on a recent court case that protected the rights of school children with disabilities. Chair Jaeger commended Commission member Prieto on her report. 6/12/25 – MINUTES • Executive: Update None. 9. ANNOUNCEMENTS Commission member Cribelli announced Aims Community College is hosting the Greeley Pride event on the 28th. Vice Chair Kistler noted Loveland’s Pride event will be on the 20th and the Fort Collins event was held on the 1st. 10. NEXT STEPS a. Meeting Action Items b. Next Meeting – July 10, 2025 – Agenda ideas? • Mayor Pro Tem Francis will be attending August meeting • Potential invitation to Maria Gabriel who is well-versed on the healing concept for July • Focus on the picnic event and neurodiversity program at July meeting • Update on Boards and Commissions joint meeting 11. ADJOURNMENT a. 7:07 PM Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 07/10/25 Signature: