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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Relations Commission - Minutes - 02/14/2013City of Fort Collins Human Relations Commission Regular Meeting Minutes February 14, 2013 City Hall West, Council Information Center: 5:30 p.m. The Human Relations Commission promotes acceptance and respect for diversity through educational programs and activities to discourage all forms of discrimination based on age, disability, gender, race, religion etc. Council Liaison: Mayor Karen Weitkunat Staff Liaison: Melissa Herzog Recorder: Michelle Dunlop Commissioners Present: Kent Bryans, Myles Crane, Christine Hays, Mary Lyons, James Owiny, Preety Sathe, Faith Sternlieb Excused Absent: Colleen Conway, James Lesco Others Present: Joe Frank, Director of Department of Social Sustainability, Michele Dunlop, Temporary Recorder, Emily Johnson, CSU Student and Pranaya Sathe, Chair of the Youth Advisory Board Meeting Summary: • HRC Guest Speaker Joe Frank, Director of the City of Fort Collins Social Sustainability Department, described the goals and aims of this new Department. • HRC Officers and Committee Chairs elected for 2013: Chair: Myles Crane, Vice Chair: James Lesco, Educational Outreach Committee Chair: Christine Hays, Government Relations Chair: Preety Sathe, Media and Community Recognition Committee: James Owiny • The HRC discussed ideas for obtaining nominations for the May 2nd Awards Breakfast and distribution of flyers. • HRC minutes format was decided. Minutes will be distributed by the Staff Liaison to all HRC members with edits to be sent to the Executive Committee (Chair and Vice Chair) Call to Order: Interim Chair Myles Crane called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Public Input: None Welcome Members and Guest: Interim Chair Myles Crane welcomed Michele Dunlop, a temporary Recorder, Emily Johnson, a student at Colorado State University, and Pranaya Sathe, Chair of the Youth Advisory Board. Agenda Review: Under New Business, Commissioner Faith Sternlieb proposed discussion of two different organizations: the Northern Colorado Chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States and SLICE. Commissioner Christine Hays requested to have approval of the minutes moved down to the discussion of the minutes. Commissioner Preety Sathe motioned to approve the February 14th, 2013 Agenda with proposed changes. Commissioner Kent Bryans seconded the motion. The motion was approved 7:0. HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 2 Approval of Minutes: See discussion under Old Business below in which a motion to approve the revised format of the minutes was approved 7:0. Also a motion to approve the content of these minutes with attachments was approved 7:0. Budget Report: Staff Liaison Melissa Herzog announced an available budget of $3,677.16. Interim Chair Myles Crane motioned to approve the budget. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb seconded the motion. The motion was approved 7:0. Guest Speaker: Interim Chair Myles Crane introduced guest speaker Joe Frank, the Director of the Department of Social Sustainability. Director Joe Frank distributed an overview of the Social Sustainability Department’s goals and responsibilities. Director Frank, who has been with the City of Fort Collins for 35 years, explained that the Department had its roots in the newly reorganized Sustainability Services, which had three intended legs: environmental services, economic health and social sustainability. The Departments of Environmental Services and Economic Health were brought under the umbrella of Sustainability Services, but there wasn’t a logical Department for social sustainability until the Social Sustainability Department was created in June of 2012. Director Frank discussed the Department’s Competitive Process, a system that provides grants and loans of about $2.5 million per year to affordable housing developers and human service agencies through the Community Development Lot Grant Program, the Federal Home Program, the Affordable Housing Fund, and the Human Services Program Fund. The Department of Social Sustainability is also responsible for: loan tracking, money monitoring, and Federal reporting. Examples of projects the Department has funded include: administrative space for Disabled Resource Services and the Fort Collins Housing Authority’s Cunningham Corners Project. Going forward, the Department will continue to demonstrate an interest not only in affordable housing, but also in early childhood care and education, homelessness, healthy communities, local food production, and affordable housing redevelopment displacement. Commissioner Mary Lyons asked what the Department of Social Sustainability could do when a developer offers to buy and repurpose a mobile home park. Director Frank answered that possible solutions include rezoning affected properties from mixed use zoning to mobile home park zoning, increasing notification requirements from six months in advance of a project to a year, using Competitive Process money to improve infrastructure in mobile home parks, and covering relocation costs for displaced residents. Commissioner Christine Hays asked where a disabled citizen in need of affordable housing could find help. Director Frank answered that he would start with either Disabled Resources or 211. Commissioner Christine Hays also asked if the Department of Social Sustainability could answer to the issue of scraping increasing local property prices and driving out lower income residents. Director Frank answered that the Department is currently investigating policies regulating scraping. Commissioner James Owiny asked if the City of Fort Collins had set aside any land for displaced mobile home park residents. Director Frank answered that most residential zoning districts allow mobile home parks, but that vacant land in Fort Collins is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. He suggested that national agencies may be able to help mobile home residents purchase their own mobile home parks. He also noted that it would be possible to set aside land from the land bank for mobile home HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 3 development, but that it would be better to try and maintain existing mobile home parks than to create new ones. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb commented that many of the proposals seem to deal with the eventuality of displacement, but aren’t a solution to affordable housing. Director Frank clarified that the Social Sustainability Department’s goals in this matter were two-fold: to try and maintain mobile home parks when it can, and to mitigate the impact of relocation when it can’t. Not all mobile home parks can be saved, but the focus of the Department’s study will be to maintain large ones. Director Frank expanded upon additional projects the Social Sustainability Department will be working on, including the Climate Wise Program to incentivize green practices and a Social Superstars awards program. The Department has been building partnerships with CSU and Poudre School District. Commissioner James Owiny asked if the Social Sustainability Department had considered converting the old CSU stadium into affordable housing. Director Frank answered that the Department had not investigated this possibility, but that it was involved in a study on student housing. Student Emily Johnson requested more information on the homeless population of Fort Collins. Director Frank explained that a point in time study was conducted January 22nd and 23rd by around 100 volunteers who went out onto the streets and into shelters to count the number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless. Emily Johnson asked for the approximate number of homeless in Fort Collins, and Director Frank answered that it was currently around 150. Commissioner James Owiny inquired into how many members of the homeless population were also students. Director Frank answered that very few high school age homeless were counted. However, there was a large number of homeless under the age of 24 who had been homeless since the age of 18. Commissioner Christine Hays remarked that most homeless adolescents were couch surfers who did not have permanent homes, but did have shelter. Committee Reports: Executive Committee: Interim Chair Myles Crane added that Dr. Martin Carcasson of the Center for Public Deliberation had confirmed that if the HRC, through its education committee, would like to run a program on affordable housing, Dr.Carcasson would consider contributing resources from the Center. Government Relations Committee: Committee Chair Preety Sathe provided an update on the status of Council meeting attendance and requested that Commissioners sign up for a minimum of one meeting. She noted that she was unable to attend the February 13th, 2013 meeting of the Citizen Review Board, but that she would be receiving their minutes. She proceeded to share information about two City Council meetings. At the City Council meeting on January 15th, 2013, a proclamation was made for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observation and Commemorative March Day on January 21st, 2013. After that, a second proclamation was made for Ashley Dinger, Director of a Puppy’s Voice Rescue Day on February 20th, 2013. Of the 22 people in attendance at the meeting, 18 requested that a fracking ban be added to the ballot for the coming election. The following discussions were also reported: Jon Fye on the prevention of use of weapons and arms, Stacy Lynne on the Jaden case, Mary Vivo, from Women’s Resource Center, on Walk with a Doc, Eric Sutherland on the budget allocated to Rocky Mountain Innosphere, Janice Lynne on water chemistry, and Ross Cunniff, Energy Board Chairperson, on clean energy. Committee Chair Preety Sathe added that State of the City was held on January 29th, 2013. At the meeting, the City discussed what it was doing and how it was making Fort Collins a better place to live. HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 4 At the City Council meeting on February 5th, 2013, a proclamation was made for Congenital Heart Defect and Childrens Heart Day on February 14, 2013. Of the 29 people in attendance at the meeting, 25 requested that a fracking ban be added to the ballot for the coming election. Two were in favor of fracking, from Prospect Energy and Boy Scouts. The following discussions were also reported: Sean Dougherty, from the Fort Collins Board of Realtors, on expediting the new plans approved by City Planning, Stacy Lynne on the Jaden case, Ryan Anderson on corporations speaking in City Council, Eric Sutherland on the budget allocated to Rocky Mountain Innosphere and Randy Gorte on animal control and electronic leashes. Educational Outreach Committee: Interim Chair Myles Crane thanked Director Joe Frank for coming and informing the HRC about the Social Sustainability Department. He then discussed future confirmed HRC Speakers, which include: Mayor Karen Weitkunat, CSU Black/African American Cultural Center Director Bridgette Johnson and Adult Resources for Care and Help Program Coordinator Linda Rumney for the month of March and United Way 2-1-1 Director Tracy Hayes for the month of May. Speakers who have been invited but have not yet been confirmed include: Lori Daigle, Larimer County Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Governor John Hickenlooper. State Representative Joann Ginal will not be able to attend. Afterwards, Interim Chair Myles Crane invited Commissioners to suggest additional speakers whose presentations would be relevant and informative to the HRC and noted that Commissioners are welcome to do this at any HRC meeting. Interim Chair Myles Crane proceeded to discuss a recent meeting of UniverCity Connections at which. City Manager Darin Atteberry and CSU President Tony Frank introduced the event. He noted that among UniverCity Connections’ diverse interests is its focus on the other side of Fort Collins, poverty and social responsibility. He read a headline from a document that included the words inclusivity, sensitivity and community, and emphasized how closely aligned these concepts are with HRC’s role. He concluded that it might be beneficial for the HRC to attend future meetings of UniverCity Connections. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb added that she had received an invitation to a recent meeting and offered to forward it to the group. Interim Chair Myles Crane also shared his recent experience with a program called Diversity Dialogues, which took place during the week of MLK celebrations. He expressed his appreciation about a Fort Collins middle school teacher, who brought 17 students with special needs to share their thoughts. He remarked how those students opened up to talk about their feelings as regards to bullying and how challenging it was for them to live with special needs and developmental disabilities from an emotional as well as a scholastic perspective. Later in the afternoon, professional trainers facilitated games for attendees at the program. Interim Chair Myles Crane thanked the CSU staff who arranged this event. Interim Chair Myles Crane mentioned that the Center for Public Deliberation will be offering training for public facilitators, and that anyone interested in attending should keep in mind the date has changed to Saturday April 6th. Commissioner Christine Hays brought up a concern that information gathered by the Center for Public Deliberation has not always been used transparently or accurately by the organizations that have requested it. She provided background on a study commissioned by Poudre School District, which some people felt that PSD recipients of the study had manipulated findings provided by the Center for Public Deliberation. She asked the HRC to be aware that this incident may have created an inaccurate perception of the good work done by the Center for Public Deliberation, and Interim Chair Myles Crane thanked Commissioner Christine Hays for the valuable feedback. Commissioner James Owiny suggested it might benefit the Center to publish its findings as a matter of public record. HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 5 Interim Chair Myles Crane distributed a draft of a letter that will provide an update on the Elder Abuse Forum. The intent of the letter is to share a preliminary Report from the Center for Public Deliberation, a video produced by Bob Overbeck of the panelists’ participation, a document compiled by former HRC Chair Karen Buchanan, and an informative report by the American Psychological Association with contributions by CSU Professor Manfred Diehl. Interim Chair Myles Crane motioned to send the letter on behalf of the HRC. Commissioner Mary Lyons seconded the motion. During discussion, Commissioner Christine Hays expressed some hesitance,because she had not reviewed the report produced in part by Professor Diehl and could not vouch for its contents. Interim Chair Myles Crane responded that the report provided a thorough overview of elder abuse in an effort to foster awareness of the issue. Commissioner Mary Lyons asked if the letter was intended as public record or if it was being sent to agencies. Interim Chair Myles Crane answered that it was intended for attendees of the forum. Commissioner James Owiny suggested a modification to the phrasing of the letter, to make it clear the HRC has no control over the content of the given reports. Interim Chair Myles Crane motioned to approve the reworded letter with a disclaimer that the HRC did not generate any of the reported materials. Commissioner Christine Hays seconded the motion. The revised motion was approved 7:0. Media & Community Recognition Committee: Committee Chair James Owiny distributed copies of the minutes for the January 17th, 2013 meeting of the Media and Public Recognition Committee. Commissioner Mary Lyons motioned to accept the minutes. Commissioner Christine Hays seconded the motion. The motion was approved 7:0. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb asked if Governor Hickenlooper was confirmed as a guest for the HRC Awards Breakfast. Interim Chair Myles Crane explained that the Governor’s Office cannot officially confirm an engagement until six weeks prior to the event, but that the Awards Breakfast is on Governor Hickenlooper’s calendar. Committee Chair James Owiny remarked that the MLK Parade went well. Interim Chair Myles Crane and Commissioner Christine Hays also had the opportunity to attend the MLK Parade, and remarked that the turnout was very good. Next, Committee Chair James Owiny provided an update on the timeline for the HRC Awards Breakfast. He brought fliers announcing the breakfast and encouraged Commissioners to take some to distribute. Additionally, he noted that the Letter to the Editor has been sent out, but has not been published yet, and suggested that a Commissioner write a Soapbox for the Colorado. Commissioner Christine Hays volunteered. Committee Chair James Owiny distributed a draft of a congratulatory letter recognizing the winners of the K12 MLK essay awards. Commissioner Preety Sathe motioned to endorse the letter on behalf of the HRC. Commissioner Christine Hays seconded the motion that was approved 7:0. Committee Chair James Owiny asked if it would be better to email the letters or deliver them in person. Commissioner Christine Hays answered that the HRC should send paper copies and offered to hand deliver them to the schools. Commissioner Christine Hays raised a concern about the Commission’s responsibility to organize the invite list for the HRC Awards Breakfast in conjunction with the Women’s Commission. She expressed the importance of designating a single person to maintain the invite list and database. Committee Chair James Owiny suggested increasing the involvement of the Women’s Commission, and Commissioner Christine Hays proposed asking the Commission to maintain their own list, invitations and nametags. Commissioner Mary Lyons asked if anyone had been assigned to track the RSVP’s to the breakfast HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 6 invitations on behalf of the HRC, and Committee Chair James Owiny answered that no one had volunteered yet. In response, Commissioner Mary Lyons volunteered to manage the invitation RSVP list. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb asked what the criteria were for invitations. Committee Chair James Owiny answered that this is something he’s still trying to whittle down, and Commissioner Christine Hays added that all nominators, nominees, City Council members and Women’s Commission members receive invitations, as well as some former nominators and award winners. Committee Chair James Owiny concluded with a discussion of Black History Month and recommended that Commissioners take a look at the African American Cultural Center’s website for more information on events. He added that the CSU Vice President for Student Affairs has invited minorities to a leadership forum over the summer as well as cheering the success of CSU becoming a nationally ranked basketball team. Old Business: Interim Chair Myles Crane reviewed current assignments for the HRC standing committees. Commissioner Mary Lyons joined the Educational Outreach Committee. Commissioner Colleen Conway opted to remain on this Committee. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb joined the Government Relations Committee and Commissioner Kent Bryans moved to the Media & Community Recognition Committee. Next the election of Committee Chairs and Officers was held. Commissioner Preety Sathe motioned to propose Commissioner Christine Hays as the Chair of the Educational Outreach Committee. Commissioner Mary Lyons seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations from the floor or further discussion, the motion was approved 7:0. Commissioner Preety Sathe motioned to propose Commissioner James Owiny as the Chair of the Media & Community Recognition Committee. Commissioner Mary Lyons seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations from the floor or further discussion, the motion was approved 7:0. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb motioned to propose Commissioner Preety Sathe as the Chair of the Government Relations Committee. Commissioner James Owiny seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations from the floor or further discussion, the motion was approved 7:0. Commissioner Mary Lyons motioned to propose Commissioner James Lesco as the Vice Chair of the HRC. Commissioner James Owiny seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations from the floor or further discussion, the motion was approved 7:0. Commissioner Preety Sathe motioned to propose Interim Chair Myles Crane as the Chair of the HRC. Commissioner James Owiny seconded the motion. As there were no other nominations from the floor or further discussion, the motion was approved 7:0. Chair Myles Crane proceeded with a request from Staff Liaison Melissa Herzog for the HRC to approve the revised format of the minutes. Changes to the minutes included the following additions on the first page: the name of the Recorder, a meeting summary to assist Council members, a list of Commissioners, in alphabetical order, and a statement of the role of the Human Relations Commission. Commissioner Preety Sathe motioned to approve the revised format of the minutes. Commissioner James Owiny seconded the motion and it was approved 7:0. Commissioner Christine Hays introduced a motion to add the three original pages of the January 2013 HRC minutes back into the revised minutes. She observed that three pages of discussion with Senior Assistant City Attorney Greg Tempel had been removed from the minutes and condensed into a brief HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 7 summary. She expressed the concern that the minutes had been edited without input from the HRC. She further suggested that the group come to a consensus on how the HRC handles its minutes and welcomed discussion. Chair Myles Crane agreed that all Commissioners should receive the original version of the minutes in addition to an edited version. Commissioner James Owiny addressed a fundamental point by asking what the purpose is of minutes. He suggested that minutes should provide key points and outcomes, in an effort to be more succinct. However, he also noted that detail could serve as a useful reference for the future. Commissioner Mary Lyons observed that the Recorder may have a harder time selecting important details from the meeting than would the Chair. She added that in her experience, it was usually the Chair’s responsibility to edit the Recorder’s notes, and then share the edited initial draft with the entire Commission for additional edits; it should not be necessary to share the original reference. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb observed that the original transcript of questions and answers with Attorney Greg Tempel is still a valuable reference, to keep from repeating questions in the future. Commissioner Christine Hays commented that she felt the minutes should be a product of all members of the HRC, and that it was important to give Commissioners the opportunity to edit the original transcript prepared by the recorder. Commissioner Preety Sathe remarked that, especially concerning the discussion with Attorney Greg Tempel, it is important to have all the information included in some way. Staff Liaison Melissa Herzog offered to share an ongoing list of Frequently Asked Questions compiled in large part from questions directed at Attorney Greg Tempel. She explained that she retains a record of every email that goes back and forth between the Commission and Attorney Greg Tempel and that she can continue adding to her FAQs. Commissioner James Owiny suggested having Attorney Greg Tempel review the FAQs, and Commissioner Mary Lyons agreed that receiving Attorney Greg Tempel ’s input could help keep any of the information from being misconstrued. Commissioner Kent Bryans expressed the belief that minutes are for the public’s benefit, not the HRC’s. Chair Myles Crane commented that Commissioners are public persona, and that there is a potential liability risk to the City through excessive verbiage since some words have multiple meanings which possibly might be misunderstood or misinterpreted by a third party reader. Commissioner Christine Hays noted that it is always important for Commissioners to review their own commentary in the minutes. She emphasized her concern that while Chair Myles Crane considered it the Chair’s responsibility to edit and summarize the Recorder’s notes as they pertained to the three pages as well as the rest of the minutes, without input initially from the Commission, that the precedent set by this process made her feel uncomfortable. After the discussion, Commissioner Kent Bryans seconded Commissioner Christine Hays’ motion to add the three original pages of the January 2013 HRC minutes back into the revised minutes. The motion was a 3:3 draw, with yeas from Commissioners - Christine Hays, Kent Bryans and Preety Sathe and nays from Commissioners Myles Crane, Mary Lyons and Faith Sternlieb Commissioner James Owiny abstained. Commissioner James Owiny proposed a revised motion to include the three pages at the end of the minutes instead of in the middle. Commissioner Christine Hays seconded the motion that was approved 7:0. Commissioner Christine Hays offered a second motion proposing that the recorder’s minutes be electronically distributed to all members of the HRC. She suggested that each member be able to submit corrections to the Executive Committee, which would send out the final copy of the minutes prior to the next HRC meeting. At the HRC meeting, additional changes may be made before final approval of the minutes. Commissioner James Owiny seconded the motion. During discussion, Commissioner Mary Lyons noted that some of the detail included in the minutes doesn’t serve a particularly important point for public information and could in some cases target certain people for expressing views. She emphasized the importance of a concise and useful set of minutes. Commissioner Christine Hays pointed out that it is up HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 8 to the Commission to make these edits. Commissioner James Owiny also noted that draft minutes are not public documents and are, in a sense, protected. He recommended that the word “draft” be inserted into the motion. Commissioner Kent Bryans additionally requested that each member “may” submit corrections, rather than “will”. Chair Myles Crane noted the issue of timing. He shared his concern that, with his upcoming trip abroad, there would not be enough time to receive edits and compile the final version of the minutes. Commissioner Christine Hays agreed to revise the minutes for the month of February. Chair Myles Crane thanked Commissioner Christine Hays for offering to receive edits from HRC members in February, and then compile the minutes based on Commissioners’ edits. Commissioner James Owiny asked when the draft could be expected. Chair Myles Crane answered that Staff Liaison Melissa Herzog has agreed to share the minutes with the HRC within one week of each HRC meeting. Commissioner Christine Hays also agreed to set clear deadlines for edits. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb asked if, going forward, this would be the process every month. Commissioner Christine Hays clarified that although the process may change, the goal of the motion is to guarantee that all Commissioners receive a draft of the minutes at the same time. The motion was approved 7:0. New Business: Chair Myles Crane provided an overview of liaison assignments. Commissioners James Lesco and Preety Sathe were assigned to the Citizen Review Board, Commissioner Christine Hays to the Women’s Commission and The Center, Commissioner Kent Bryans to the Commission on Disability, Commissioner Colleen Conway to the ACLU, Commissioner Faith Sternlieb to the Natural Resource Advisory Board, and Commissioner Mary Lyons to the Senior Advisory Board and Habitat for Humanity. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb asked how to make contact between liaisons and boards. Chair Myles Crane recommended attending a meeting, making an introduction and requesting to be the liaison from the Human Relations Commission. Commissioner Kent Bryans also suggested contacting the board in advance. Next, Commissioner Christine Hays shared a training opportunity. Karen Buchanan, who is a professional facilitator, has offered to facilitate a complimentary team building exercise for HRC members. Commissioner Christine Hays suggested a team building exercise might assist the HRC’s newer members in fulfilling their responsibilities, and proposed turning the opportunity over to the Executive Committee to coordinate. Commissioner James Owiny also proposed the use of city facilities for Executive Committee consideration. Commissioner Christine Hays motioned that the Executive Committee look into the creation of a retreat for the HRC in 2013. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb seconded the motion that was approved 7:0. Commissioner Faith Sternlieb shared the SLICE Spring 2013 calendar and offered information on the United Nations Association of the United States’ Humanitarian Award. She suggested it might be valuable to discuss their newsletter, and Chair Myles Crane agreed to add it to the next agenda. Commissioner James Owiny recommended inviting them to speak at a meeting, and Commissioner Faith Sternlieb agreed. As a final point of new business, Youth Advisory Board Chair Pranaya Sathe briefly discussed upcoming opportunities offered courtesy of the Youth Advisory Board. The Youth Advisory Board will host a Jobs of the Future fair April 17th, 2013 and will also be inviting members of the 8th, 9th and 10th grades to see Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor during her visit to the Capitol. Commissioner Christine Hays asked for clarification concerning the discussion points. HRC March 14, 2013 – Page 9 Motion to Adjourn: Chair Myles Crane made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Mary Lyons seconded the motion. The motion was approved 7:0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. The next HRC regular meeting is scheduled on March 14, 2013, 5:30 p.m.in the CIC Room. HRC STANDING COMMITTEES Executive Chair: Myles Crane and Vice Chair: James Lesco Government Relations Chair: Preety Sathe / Faith Sternlieb Educational Outreach Chair Christine Hays/ Colleen Conway, Mary Lyons Media/Community Recognition Chair James Owiny/ Kent Byrans