Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION - MINUTES - 07/10/20257/10/25 – MINUTES Human Relations Commission REGULAR MEETING Thursday, July 10, 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 – Liz Messenger, Lead Equity & Inclusion Specialist d. Guest(s) – Fatima Prieto, Larimer County Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Board 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Jaeger reviewed the agenda items. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JUNE 12, 2025 Commission member Prieto motioned to approve the June 12, 2025 minutes. Commission member Bryan seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. 6. BUDGET REVIEW Chair Jaeger stated the Commission has $5,900 remaining in its budget. She noted the proposed CSU collaborative fall event has become more of an educational event and noted the response to next week’s Belonging picnic has been overwhelming; therefore, the funds from the CSU event have been reallocated to the picnic, along with other 2025 activities. She also noted there are $1,500 earmarked for the October Neurodiversity Program, $2,000 for the December awards program, and there is a new budget line item for a light meal for the Boards and Commissions Joint Meeting, and there is a plan to meet again in September so $250 has been allocated to that. 7/10/25 – MINUTES Messenger noted she has not yet heard from City Give staff regarding whether Commission members or other community partners can provide donations of food or other items for events. Commission member Brossus noted providing some type of recognition to community partners for donations could be an important part of gathering those, if allowed. Messenger stated she would continue to check with City Give and City Attorney staff. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Update: July 16th “NoCo Community Connections and Belonging” picnic and collaboration with the JEDI Coalition Vice Chair Kistler stated the event will be next Wednesday, July 16th at the Senior Center from 4:00-7:00 PM. She noted 170 RSVPs have been received and stated the collaboration with the JEDI Coalition has been incredible. Additionally, she noted Fatima Prieto was able to get official co-hosting approval from the Larimer County Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Board. Vice Chair Kistler outlined the schedule and assignments for Commission members for the event and noted the food vendor will be La Luz. She stated 120 burritos have been ordered given the typical no-show rate. Additionally, she outlined the planned activities for the evening, including a ‘get to know you’ exercise, word cloud, and a flip chart exercise with six questions around the room. Vice Chair Kistler commented on some positive things happening in the community, including significant financial donations to the Indigenous community over the past year, and stated announcements will be made at the event as individuals who have managed the donations will be in attendance at the event. Members discussed using sticky notes rather than solely writing on a large flip chart to help increase efficiency in the exercise. Vice Chair Kistler stated two requests have been made for Spanish interpretation at the event, and if needed, the services have been contracted. Members commented on the effectiveness of Google Translate for interpretation if needed on a limited basis. Commission member Wilford noted Councilmembers Potyondy and Gutowsky have accepted the event invitation and Councilmember Ohlson has tentatively accepted. Vice Chair Kistler noted Larimer County Commissioners Kefalas and Shadduck-McNally as well as Assistant County Manager Laurie Kadrich have also accepted the event invitation. Chair Jaeger commended the work of the planning committee. 7/10/25 – MINUTES Members discussed taking photos at the event and assuring attendees they will not be published on social media or in other places. b. Follow-up: June 17th Boards and Commissions Joint Meeting Chair Jaeger discussed the June 17th Joint Meeting with representatives from the Disability Advisory Board, Senior Advisory Board, and Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board. She noted the primary representatives were the Chairs, Vice Chairs, and staff liaisons, and stated Vice Chair Kistler led the group in an introductory exercise. Additionally, representatives from each Board shared their mission, focus areas, key activities for the coming year, and logistical items, and a conversation ensued about crossover topics between the Boards. Chair Jaeger stated the group agreed to establish an email list between the four Boards to share information, provide invitations to attend each other’s meetings, coordinate event promotion, and to facilitate meeting again as a group in September. Chair Jaeger stated the group recognized the City’s increased support is needed to make each of the Boards stronger and more effective, and that could be done through training. She also suggested Boards could receive some information as to what certain City departments do and how Boards and Commissions interact with them. She cited an example of the Communications and Public Involvement Office. Messenger noted she could provide some of that information. Vice Chair Kistler suggested some training for Commission members from the City Attorney’s Office regarding what it means to be a quasi-judicial Commission. Chair Jaeger suggested someone make a presentation regarding City Council priorities. Members also discussed wanting to receive information regarding Fort Collins being a home-rule city and what type of advice Council would like from the Boards and Commissions. Chair Jaeger stated each of the Boards from the joint meeting had agreed to have this type of conversation with their members and the plan is to propose something to Davina Lau in the City Clerk’s Office regarding desired additional trainings. Messenger stated she would discuss the topic with Claudia Menendez for some additional insight. Messenger noted there are some new tools and guides in place, including a guide for proclamation and reception requests, a task list for liaisons, and a process for Council event invitations. Members discussed the Board and Commission onboarding process and it was noted that some more senior members never received that training. It was also noted that the onboarding sessions were only offered during weekdays. Vice Chair Kistler noted Emily Gallichotte from the Women and Gender Equity 7/10/25 – MINUTES Advisory Board has put together a City Council 101 presentation and would be happy to share it with the Commission. Chair Jaeger shared the ideas for medium-term collaboration projects that came from the joint meeting: joint proclamations such as the International Human Rights Day proclamation, bathroom accessibility improvements throughout City buildings, forming a Council meeting public comment template, advocating for Council meeting accessibility, prioritizing public comment to allow people needing accommodations to speak first, and joint educational programming. Members commented on the importance of bathroom accessibility and lactation rooms. Commission member Brossus commented on the importance of reducing barriers to entry for having voices heard at Council meetings. Chair Jaeger commented on longer-term ideas that resulted from the joint meeting, including a community dignity campaign, a collaborative community program exploring what dignity means from different perspectives, an ‘I Am Fort Collins’ campaign, which would be a photo poster campaign celebrating community diversity, grant opportunities, and joint work on the Human Library. Chair Jaeger stated the joint meeting exceeded her expectations and asked Commission members whether they are in support of the medium- and long- term collaboration ideas. Commission member Cribelli motioned to support the medium- and long-term collaboration ideas. Commission member Prieto seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. Chair Jaeger stated she would work with Messenger and Vice Chair Kistler to plan the September joint meeting. c. Update: 2026 Human Library Program Chair Jaeger stated this item will remain on the agenda, though at this point there is no further update as to whether the grant has been awarded to support the 2026 program. She noted she and Vice Chair Kistler will be meeting with Solara Clark to thank her for putting together a procedural manual for the Human Library Program which will guide future programs in Fort Collins and which can be shared with other communities. 8. OLD BUSINESS a. Committee Reports • Community Recognition: Update re: December 11, 2025 Human Relations Awards Commission member Bryan noted award nominations are open on the website and asked fellow members to spread the word among personal and professional networks, specifically regarding the youth 7/10/25 – MINUTES award. She noted nominations close on October 31st. All were asked to send the call for nomination memo to their networks by the end of August. Members discussed having paper copies of the nomination forms available at the July 16th picnic event. • Education Outreach: Update re: October 23rd Neurodiversity Educational Program Commission member Brossus created a template for the program structure and noted the target audience for the event will be neurodivergent individuals, caregivers, disability advocates, the CSU community, and the public in general. He discussed the planned timing of program reminders and communication and the channels that will be utilized. Commission member Brossus noted $1,500 has been earmarked for the event which will include snacks and interpretation. He noted he will be looking into food donations as soon as Messenger gets some direction around that. He also noted the Disability Advisory Board will be co-marketing the program and there is the potential for a partnership with CSU. Commission member Brossus stated the event will be at the Senior Center and he outlined the timeline for the program. He stated some speakers have been confirmed and others will be forthcoming. Commission member Brossus will bring an updated event work plan to the HRC’s August meeting, including a communication/marketing schedule. Commission member Brossus stated he met with the Coordinator of Community Engagement and Learning at CSU and there was some alignment in terms of thoughts around collaboration with CSU students and opening up some programs to be supported by CSU. He noted one thing the office is hoping to do involves student shadowing or internships, and some of that work could potentially be done in support of the work of the HRC. Additionally, he noted the Coordinator is planning a marketing send out that could potentially include advertisements and support requests for HRC programs. Commission member Brossus also noted the Coordinator is very interested in the Human Library Program and potentially supporting a similar program at CSU with the support of the HRC. Members discussed the possibility of various collaborative efforts. Chair Jaeger noted students are welcome to attend HRC meetings and could potentially serve on an event or project committee. 7/10/25 – MINUTES Vice Chair Kistler motioned that Commission member Brossus further explore collaboration options. Commission member Wilford seconded the motion. Motion passed 7-0. Commission member Brossus stated he would formalize some more structured options hopefully prior to the next HRC meeting. • Government Relations: Update Commission member Prieto commented on an organization called America First Legal, a not-for-profit law firm with ties to the Trump administration, which filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights Department of Education against CSU finding the University is not in keeping with President Trump’s executive order around DEI initiatives. She noted this action has implications for the community as well as the University. She noted CSU was part of the amicus brief filed in support of Harvard. She stated CSU’s federal funding could be at risk, which would have a tremendous impact on research. Messenger stated the United States Department of Transportation recently implemented some major changes regarding those who receive federal funding, which may impact Transfort as it is the largest federal contract in the City organization. She noted all previous requirements for transit agencies regarding DEI and climate change initiatives no longer apply. • Executive: Update None. 9. ANNOUNCEMENTS Messenger commented on some City Hall building entrances changing to fob access for employees only. Commission member Cribelli stated Rocky Mountain ADA has trainings available on disability etiquette for Disability Pride Month. Messenger noted that training is also being provided for City staff. 10. NEXT STEPS a. Meeting Action Items b. Next Meeting – August 14, 2025 – Mayor Pro Tem Emily Francis Chair Jaeger noted Mayor Pro Tem Emily Francis, the Commission’s Council liaison, will be attending next month’s meeting. Members noted that could provide a good opportunity to discuss Council priorities. 11. ADJOURNMENT a. 7:25 PM 7/10/25 – MINUTES Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 08/14/2025 Signature: