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March 20, 2013 <br />Item 7. a <br />Evaluation of 2012 Achievements <br />Councilmember Johnson concurred, noting that different leadership styles were <br />currently in place. <br />In addressing Chair Grefenberg's concerns with the lack of staff support available, <br />Councilmember Willmus questioned the number of subgroups currently operating <br />under the HRC umbrella. <br />Chair Grefenberg advised that there were currently four (4) standing committees of <br />three (3) or fewer members (plus staff) of the HRC to avoid conflicts with the Open <br />Meeting Law; and if additional members were involved, the HRC posted the <br />meeting. Standing committees included: Program Planning Committee; Advisory <br />Committee with students and others interested in minority issues; Outreach <br />Committee with other communities; and the Civic Engagement Task Force. Chair <br />Grefenberg noted that, the current meeting schedule of the Civic Engagement Task <br />Force in the evening, even though staff support was not available, had allowed <br />younger families to participate in that process. <br />Councilmember Willmus questioned if those individual subcommittees needed to <br />remain focused on one area, or if their functions could merge in the future. <br />Councilmember Willmus further questioned if Chair Grefenberg saw the Civic <br />Engagement Task force sun-setting as most task forces did, or if he was it as an <br />ongoing Advisory Commission moving forward. <br />With regard to the task force, Chair Grefenberg noted that the HRC had outlined <br />some issues needing more attention moving forward, especially in the marginalized <br />and minority communities; and advised that the draft report coming forward in the <br />near future recommended an ongoing role for those Civic Engagement efforts, while <br />not addressing what form it may take, whether a separate Commission or a <br />subcommittee of the HRC. Chair Grefenberg noted that the Task force had <br />consumed a fair amount of time, but expressed his appreciation of the creative <br />contributions and civic activists already in place, as well as involvement of new <br />people throughout the community in this dynamic group. Chair Grefenberg noted <br />that there was significant interest from those citizens in continuing to play a role; <br />however, without more staff support he wasn't sure that was possible. <br />Councilmember Willmus suggested that a potential benefit of streamlining <br />subcommittees would be the availability of more staff support. <br />Member poneen opined that once the by-laws were completed, there would be more <br />time to focus on the role of the Civic Engagement Task Force and how it could be <br />structured. However, Member poneen opined that the other three (3) <br />subcommittees were really separate functions and she didn't seem them being <br />successful if inerged. <br />At the request of Councilmember Willmus and whether some of those items could be <br />handled by the full HRC, Chair Grefenberg opined that they could be. Chair <br />Grefenberg opined that there was considerable autonomy in the past with various <br />groups, but now things were being funneled back for group decisions rather than <br />advocating for one special issue; with staff having made it very clear that all major <br />decisions were made by the full HRC, with logistical details done at the <br />HRC Current Status Review of 2012 Strategic Plan and 2013-2014 Revisions & Initiatives IZ <br />