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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - July 25, 2024, AHRC MinutesMinutes AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Conference Room 135 City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue Thursday, July 25, 2024 Call to Order: Chair Chunhui Chen called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. Commission Members Annabella Marquez, Shawn Kenny, Marty Martinez, and Brennan Sorkin and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator Casandra Eames were also present. Commissioner Wayne Clinton was absent. Public Forum: Chair Chen opened and closed the Public Forum when no one came to speak. Approval of Minutes: Moved by Marquez, seconded by Sorkin, to approve the minutes of the June 27, 2024, meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Follow-Up from Presentation by ICRC Director Kristen Stiffler: The Commissioners expressed interest in participating in one of the ICRC’s trainings. Coordinator Eames planned to follow up with the ICRC. AHRC Planning Retreat Review and Next Steps: Chair Chen noted that the report was included in the agenda packet and invited feedback on possible changes. Commissioner Pablo Suarez Beltran arrived at 5:37 p.m. Moved by Kenny, seconded by Marquez, to approve the report with no changes. Motion carried unanimously. Coordinator Eames shared that Legal had preliminarily cleared use of Teams as long as decisions that must be made in open meetings are not made on the platform. Staff is working on a guide for how to use the platform within legal parameters. Coordinator Eames also clarified that Commissioners’ personal email accounts are not subject to search by open records requests. Commissioner Beltran raised the idea of a public message board on the City website as an alternative to Teams, and while staff was unsure if it would comply with open meetings law, Coordinator Eames planned to check with Legal. T-Shirt Design Contest: Coordinator Eames passed around the sample t-shirts and the Commissioners discussed what elements to include in the final version. Moved by Sorkin, seconded by Marquez, to order between 72 and 100 t-shirts with the Balvanz design on the front pocket, the Chellew design on the back, and the AHRC logo on the upper back; equally split among light gray, gold, and purple colored t-shirts; in adult sizes of 15% small, 30% medium, 30% large, and 25% extra-large. Motion carried unanimously. Outreach Opportunity: Coordinator Eames shared a possible outreach opportunity for the Commission in the form of golf cart tours of Ada Hayden Heritage Park offered for mobility- impaired residents by the Friends of Ada Hayden on September 9 and 10. Some interest was expressed, and the Commissioners requested more information from the event organizers about what participation in or support of the event could look like. Upcoming Events: • Summer Quarterly Meet & Greet: Chair Chen arranged for the event to be held at the Ames Public Library on Tuesday, August 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Library will provide a table and a few chairs in the entryway. Chair Chen will be out of town for the actual event, so Commissioner Sorkin volunteered to be the point person for the day of the event. • National Night Out: Coordinator Eames noted the event will be held at the Ames Middle School on Tuesday, August 6. Setup starts at 4:00 p.m. and the event starts at 5:30 p.m. Commissioner Beltran is the point person and will bring a canopy. • Pridefest: The event will be held on Saturday, September 14. Commissioner Clinton is the point person with Commissioner Sorkin as the backup point person. Coordinator Eames explained that having a booth is $50. o Chair Chen noted that having more information about the program, including financial management and accounting, would be important for considering adding sponsorship of the event to future budgets. o The Commissioners agreed to invite Ames Pride to the August meeting to share more about the organization and the event. Coordinator Eames planned to send the invitation to her contact. • 50th Anniversary Celebration in October: Commissioners Beltran and Marquez are the point people for this event. Commissioner Beltran planned to contact Parks and Recreation staff regarding the location and tree planting. The top options discussed were Tom Evans Plaza and Moore Memorial park. Discussion of catering was tabled until more budget information was available, but there was consensus that cake or cupcakes would be necessary. Commissioner Announcements: Coordinator Eames reminded the Commissioners that the budget review process for FY 2025-26 began in late August. Her supervisor has requested that the Commissioners provide written rationales for all new Commission activities in order to have a record of all events and partnerships planned for that fiscal year. Chair Chen shared that he wrote a similar rationale when proposing the AAPI sponsorship to the Commission, and he hoped that community organizations would come to the Commission requesting support in the future. There was discussion of developing an application process for organizations to request one-time funding from the Commission. Commissioner Martinez noted that forms of support other than financial can be quite impactful as well. The Commissioners decided to have the point person(s) for each event prepare the relevant rationale. Coordinator Eames set the deadline for August 9. Coordinator Eames also shared that Legal Aid of Story County offered to facilitate training on landlord and tenant rights for the Commissioners at a future meeting. Next Meeting: Thursday, August 22, 2024 Adjournment: Chair Chen adjourned the meeting at 7:58 p.m.