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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWomens Commission - Minutes - 09/15/1997COMMISSION OF THE STATUS OF WOMEN MEETING MINUTES September 15, 1997 Present: Danielle Johnson, Lynne Warner, Ruth Weatherford, Lena Sunthanker, Becki Fosha, Rita Anastasio, Beth Fitzgerald, Christinia Eala American Horse Excused Absences: Audrey Faulkner, Lu Fisk, Diane Lathrop, JoAnn Ginal Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:09p.m. Liaison Report: None Minutes: Change to slate of officers in minutes. Danielle is willing to be vice chair and JoAnn was willing to be chair. The facilitator for the October retreat should be Rena Mackrill not Rita. Introductions: New member, Beth Fitzgerald introduced herself and new members welcomed. Additions to the Agenda: Request from AAUW for someone to attend their meeting. Added after agenda item E. Announcements: Annual Mayors award letter was passed around. Thank you from Stephanie Lane was passed around. Denver Women's Commission announcement was passed around. Women in Business and Technology Conference announcements were passed around. Business Items: • A. Human Relations Commission Report - none • Human Rights Ordinance Report - Laurie Fonken Joseph Open Forum Sept 17, 1997 at Lincoln Center Ludlow Room. Passed around minutes from past two meetings. • B. Welfare Reform: Lynne reported County and State have merged their offices and they have hired someone to be a youth specialist. • C. Election of new Officers: Slate, JoAnn as Chair, Danielle as vice -chair and Becki as secretary. Motion Commission on the Status of Women Page 1 to approve slate by Beth, seconded by Ruth and motion was approved unanimously. • D. 101h Anniverstiry Report: Diane hopes to have this to people before retreat . Would like everyone to go through the report thoroughly and look at recommendations in particular and see if they match the findings. Will be a focus at the retreat October 20, 1997. • E. AAUW would like someone to come to their Oct 1, 1997 meeting at 8:00 p.m. to talk about study, historical perspective about what report is about, a few sample questions to use for break out sessions. Danielle is willing to go and needs one other person to go with her. Will check with Diane, JoAnn and possibly Doreen. • F. Council Policy Agenda: COMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN Review and Response Council Policy Agenda 1997-1999 As the Commission on the Status of Women completes a ten year follow up study on the status of women in Fort Collins, we are interested in addressing the following items in the Council Policy Agenda. Goals of the commission are included along with ideas as to how we would like to work in an advisory capacity to the City Council. Theme 91: Planning for Land Use, the Environment and Transportation Transportation: Senior women have expressed the need for safe, accessible transportation, street lights, more centrally located services, and additional bus routes in the evening. There has also been a request that there be shelters at some of the bus stops. We have heard the need for accessibility for disabled to even get to the bus stops, plowing snow onto the sidewalks, ice, lack of curb cuts etc. impede their ability to access bus stops. Affordable Housing: is a focus area for the commission. We are greatly concerned about the amount of affordable housing available. We have identified the need to help women access affordable housing, who do they contact, how do they get their needs met, what kind of resources and support are available to these women with regards to their housing needs? We are concerned that it appears the least structurally sound housing is not built in safe places. Is there a tendency to do this, to place the more affordable housing in unsafe and crowded areas? Are we locating affordable housing further from the jobs, transportation, and services these individuals may need? Need affordable housing in areas where there is more retail so people have easy access to services. We also identified a need to look at hazards to children in these areas, open drainage ditches etc. Seems often affordable housing is built on "left over" land. The Commission would ask the City what it can do to help developers and builders build better quality, low income housing? Possibly lower fees from the City etc., more support for builders to do these types of projects.. Becki recalls that there were some breaks to fees that City does offer to builders for affordable housing. City may need to lower some of the requirements and still get quality sound homes. GOAL: The Commission would like to have a builder and contractor come in to speak to this issue. We also interested in going out into the neighborhoods, speaking to residents, and look at marketing of rental and investment properties, which may tend to push out single family home owners. We fear we are losing older neighborhoods to investment properties. ADVISORY ROLE: The Commission is willing to come before Council and speak to these issues as identified Commission on the Status of Women Page 2 • 0 in the Status Report. We would then highlight needs of single women, elderly women and single moms. Theme 92: Sense of Community. Human Rights Ordinance. The Commission would like to provide support in developing the new expanded Human Rights Ordinance. We have seen the need to provide additional protection to women in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodation. This includes protection on the bases of source of income, familial status, and sexual orientation, and adding the term gender in place of sex. ADVISORY ROLE: The Commission will put together written recommendations gleaning the important issues, and recommendations from the survey. Advise on the language used in the Human Rights Ordinance and on ways the Human Rights Ordinance can work to accommodate the needs highlighted in the study. In addition we see a need to address diversity in our community and the tendency to segregate people of color. We feel it is important to provide resources, places where people can come together. Work with Multicultural Commission on presenting at their one day conference. Rental Property. The Commission agrees with the idea of holding property owners responsible for their properties yet wonder if this will raise the cost of rents? We believe there is a need for resources to teach renters their responsibilities, their rights, as well as work to improve renters rights. Look at abusive landlords and their attitudes toward renters. We see the importance of developing minimum standards property owners must meet. Advocacy resources for renters, as well as home owners who live next to rental property. Women are being taken advantage of by apartment owners for fees for repairs etc. GOAL: The Commission will work to get women out to vote, as well as to educate people in the community and neighborhoods on renters rights, and home owners rights, an effort which could be coordinated with Neighborhood Resource Office, and Celebration of Neighborhoods. Establish a renters rights office through the city. Work with local liquor providers to hand out responsible drinking information to buyers to help with loud parties etc. ADVISORY ROLE: The Commission will provide information from the Status Report regarding housing needs of women in Fort Collins. Youth. The Commission feels it is essential to reach out to this group. We are interested in how the city will work to ensure youth early and mid teens have positive choices? We want to make sure to look also at college age youth. Look at providing resources and taking an active role in job training and access to jobs. Encourage employers to use youth, hire them, apprenticeships, volunteers, etc. City can also provide such opportunities. Resource Center for youth programs going on, with options for youth and counselors. Theme #3: Economic Vitality and Sustainability We talked about meaning of virtual incubator and micro -loan. We need to have these terms defined, as well as their role in addressing this theme. GOAL The Commission will ask Chris Kneeland about terms and programs we are unclear about. We will look to see what is available in the community, and work with resources which are available and make sure they are accessible to women of low income and women of color (Women0s Center etc.) Economic Vitality. The Commission would like to look at support programs for women to help them get started in business. Look at availability of entry level jobs in the community. We encourage City to encourage businesses to hire people as opposed to using temps. Offer incentives to employers who do this. Also look at Commission on the Status of Women Page 3 requirements of jobs, do they really need to meet specific educational requirements, or can experience be used? Reassess minimum standards to see if they discriminate against people of color, women and low income individuals. Need to look at issues of equal pay for equal work and comparable worth. Child care. The Commission felt that one piece which is missing is women may not be able to sustain an economic level without child care. We saw no mention of child care in the Councils policy agenda. We believe the City needs to take a lead in working on provision of affordable and safe child care. Businesses should also be providing these services. There is a need to make sure low income slots are open in various child care agencies. We support the City in encourage Private sector to provide these services, possibly through offering incentives. We have also identified the need to find places where children can be taken when they are not well. Senior share program would be an option here. If women are worried about their children they are not as productive on their jobs. ADVISORY ROLE: The Commission will provide information from the Status Report to council on these issues. The Commission willing to take an active role in beginning dialogue to look at how we resolve these issues. Senior women are willing to provide child care in return for transportation (to Lincoln center etc.) Would need a coordination of these services, a time bank or something for exchange of day care and transport. Theme #4. Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission has a County Liaison. Intergovernmental Regional Transportation. There is a critical need for improvement in this area. Make sure a person can get from one place to another. Who picks up when one drops off. Law Enforcement. The Commission identified a concern related to safety, who do you go to FCPD or Sheriff? In domestic violence cases this is unclear. We see the need for cooperation between law enforcement, civil standby officers, and cooperation in implementing restraining orders. County seems to be at a different level in their training. Need to get consistency in training and procedures. We encourage training for all law enforcement officers on Domestic Violence, provide victim advocate training. Also diversity training for these agencies. Regional heritage vlan. The Commission feels it is important that in defining this the various groups who have lived on this land be included, Native Americans, Hispanics, Russian etc. It is essential that history is clearly and completely presented. ADVISORY ROLE. The Commission will meet with Chris Kneeland, initially to see how we can be involved in this process. Theme 95: Financial Policies. The Commission would like to know if there will be a surplus in the budget this year? If there is a deficit what would be cut? Theme 96: Utilities and Telecommunications. We feel it is important to hire more women in these areas, and make sure women working in these areas are not being discriminated against. ADVISORY ROLE: The Commission would like to explore the possibility of having a liaison from the Commission involved in looking at this issue as it evolves, and working directly with Council to address these areas. Other areas of Council Interest: Commission on the Status of Women Page 4 0 • What is a Steady State Conference? What does this mean? How can commission have input into this process? • Are we going to have another Sister city? Will it be national or international? • The Commission needs more information earlier on legislative tracking, as well as follow up on what action has been taken by City. The Commission will make recommendations to City on different legislative issues and would like feedback on those recommendations. The Commission talked about forming a working relationship with Peggy Reeves. G. Retreat: October 20, 1997 5:30-9:00 p.m. at Edwards House. Make sure to review Status Report. Each consider what you think the goals for next year should be. Located on Mountain and Meldrum on the North West corner. • H. Marcile N. Wood Award. For next year nominations need to go out a bit earlier, especially given that it is summer, maybe three months before. Send out a reminder a month before the application is due. Liaisons can encourage nominations as well as people to come help celebrate. Get publicity to go out before award, Coloradoan. Send out invitations to particular women. Celebration of women's equality day. Do more to celebrate Women's Equality Day. Beth will bring refreshments to the November meeting. • Meeting adjourned at 8:50 Commission on the Status of Women Page 5