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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Human Relations Commission - AHRC Minutes 11-19-2015M I N U T E S HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION November 19, 2015 The regular meeting of the Ames Human Relations Commission was called to order by Chair Amy Juhnke at 5:32 p.m. in Conference Room 235 of Ames City Hall. Members present were Raghul Ethiraj, John Klaus, and Heidi Thompson. Mary Beth Oostenbrug was absent. Staff member Brian Phillips was also present. PUBLIC FORUM There was no one present for the public forum. OLD BUSINESS A. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 22, 2015 MINUTES: It was moved by Klaus, seconded by Ethiraj to approve the minutes. The motion carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS A. STRATEGIC PLAN REVIEW AND ADOPTION – The Commission reviewed the draft Strategic Plan. Heidi initiated a discussion about the bullet points related to discriminatory practices. Moved by Thompson, seconded by Klaus, to change the first two bullets of the second major task area to read “Identif y individuals or groups who are willing to share experiences or unreported complaints related to: Housing, employment, public accommodation, race or ethnic minority, disabilities, and gender identity.” Motion carried unanimously. Moved by Thompson, seconded by Ethiraj, to change “self-education efforts” to “findings” in the third bullet of the second major task area. Motion carried unanimously. Moved by Thompson, seconded by Ethiraj, to add a bullet in the second major task area to “attend conferences and symposiums and share with the Commission any information gained regarding state and national civil rights or discriminatory trends.” Moved by Thompson, seconded by Klaus, to approve the Strategic Plan as adopted, with the intent to create and adopt a timeline by January 2016. Motion carried unanimously. Discussion ensued as to the prioritization of elements of the Strategic Plan. The four initial items to be placed on the next agenda are 1) review of the website, literature, and other Commission promotion materials (Raghul), 2) development of a list of partner organizations and email contacts (Amy), 3) development of the calendar of activities (Heidi), and 4) starting a list of groups to reach out to in order to begin learn about experiences and unreported complaints (John). COMMISSIONER COMMENTS John described the Iowa Civil Rights Symposium. He provided an overview of the seminar offerings of the symposium. He attended a seminar outlining the mediation, conciliation, and public hearing process for cases, a seminar describing the history of landmark cases in Iowa civil rights history, and a seminar about the interplay between bullying and civil rights laws. John also announced that he had been to two planning sessions for the Martin Luther King Celebration. At the second meeting, the organizers indicated a desire for more depth and seriousness to the event, rather than a happy celebration. The next planning meeting is December 8th. TIME AND DATE OF NEXT REGULAR MEETING: December 17, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers ADJOURN: Commissioner Ethiraj moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Thompson. The meeting adjourned at 6:44 p.m.