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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Human Relations Commission Minutes 4/23/2026MINUTES AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Conference Room 235 City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue April 23, 2026 Call to Order Chair Annabella Marquez called the meeting of the Ames Human Relations Commission (AHRC) to order at 5:30 p.m. In attendance were Commissioners Shawn Kenny, Sarah Nolin, Paige Bailey, and Engagement Coordinator, and Casandra Eames. Katlyn Mock and Pablo Suarez Beltran, who were in attendance virtually. Commissioner Zhengyuan Zhy was absent. Commissioners and the Engagement Coordinator introduced themselves to new Commissioners and to the public. Public Forum Charles Pearson shared that he would make sure to get on the AHRC agenda to present an update on his Civil War/Civil Rights Bike Tour. No dates have been selected yet. Students from Ames High were present for a class project. Dr. Zhu entered the meeting at 5:39 pm. Approval of Minutes Approved by Marquez, seconded by Nolin, to approve the March 26, 2026. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion carried unanimously. Selection of Chair and Vice Chair for April 2026-March 2027 Marquez was voted Chair unanimously. Suarez Beltran was voted Vice Chair unanimously. Vote on Meeting Time Change Commissioner Katlyn Mock shared that she just started a job in Des Moines and cannot arrive at 5:30 pm for the AHRC monthly meetings. She asked if the Commission would consider a time change to 6:00 p.m. All Commissioners were in favor, and the vote passed unanimously. Budget Update Eames reviewed the budget and gave the new Commissioners a brief overview. Review/Feedback of the: Recipient of the A Home for Everyone Award Chair Marquez shared that the recipient this year was Martha’s House of Hope, and receiving the award was the Executive Director, Tara Brown, who was very appreciative. Marquez shared that she wished other Commissioners had made themselves available to attend. Marquez also shared that tours are available for those who would like to see the new facility/house and how it is run. Marquez will follow up about tours. Fair Housing Panel Chair Marquez attended the panel and shared information about the discrimination complaint process and how they are sent to the IOCR. She also shared information about the 2024 data the AHRC received. The Ames High School Culture Fair Commissioner Nolin shared that it was a successful event, with several people in attendance. The AHRC gave away a lot of coloring books , and overall, it was a fun event. The AHRC was the only outside organization in attendance. Commissioner Nolin mentioned this was an event to consider placing on the AHRC’s annual calendar of events. 2025 Annual Report Chair Marquez shared that she has updated all but one item in the Annual Report. She is currently waiting to get more information on the IOCR 2025 discrimination complaints. Eames stated she had reached out to the City Attorney about this process and will reach out again and update the Commission. Chair Marquez shared the information she requested from the ISU Equal Opportunity Office. This was the 2024 Discrimination and Harassment Claims by Group and County of Incident Date by Hearing Type. Chair Marquez will be inquiring about the 2025 data to include in the AHRC Annual Update to Council. Neighborhood Connections Initiative Road Tripping Through Ames Eames shared with the Commission the new City initiative, Neighborhood Connections, and shared the four main strategies: 1. Neighborhood Associations- A survey went out to active associations to understand current status, activities, goals, needs, etc. The City wants to encourage neighbors to connect with each other and formalize if they are interested. 2. Neighborhood Improvement Grant- this is a City grant that is being updated and relaunched to share with the community and increase neighbor connections, boost appearance, and physical improvements. 3. Connect with community groups- involve current, active groups that would like to collaborate in this initiative by spreading the word or volunteering. 4. Road Trips through Ames- There will be five Road Trip stops from May through September. Each stop will provide activities to connect with each other, the block party trailer, the command trailer for tours, the Up Close podcast in a condensed 20-minute version, City of Ames staff tabling, and resources. Council members will be in attendance to answer questions and continue building relationships with the community. These Road trips are an opportunity to meet people where they are by traveling to different neighborhood locations and providing them with resources and services. Commissioner Kenny will create a sign-up genius for all upcoming AHRC events. Juneteenth This event will take place on Saturday, June 13th, from 12:30 to 5:00 pm at the Bandshell. More information to come. Commissioner Mock has agreed to be the point of contact. Upcoming Events: Quarterly Meet and Greets The Commissioners decided the Road Trips will be considered their meet and greets. Commissioner Announcements Chair Zhu shared the AAPI Celebration will be Saturday, May 23 rd. The AHRC’s sponsorship gives the commission two free tickets to attend. Each ticket is priced at $10. The location is yet to bet determined. Chair Zhu will share the flyer so the City can post on social media. The AAPI essay/video contest is open to everyone. Chair Marquez talked about the Commission taking on roles for each Commissioner like secretary, treasurer, event coordinator, etc. She asked that everyone thing about this for next meeting. Chair Marquez mentioned that the crayon boxes they gave out recently had some fun facts about Ames diversity and wondered how much it would cost the AHRC to create more. Eames will look into this. Chair Marquez would like to make flyers for the two annual awards and QR codes to facilitate people making nominations. Chair Marquez mentioned a QR code to allow people to sign up for emails would be good to have at tabling events. She gave the example of giving away t -shirts at the Juneteenth event and having people who sign up for emails enter a drawing where they have to be present to win. Commissioner Nolin inquired about giveaways and said she will research and come up with some ideas to share at the next meeting. At 7:30 pm, the tornado sirens went off, and Eames told everyone to go to the basement. This ended the meeting.