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Feedback and Proposed direction for reframing of HRIEC work This proposal is meant to start a conversation within the City Council and with the community. More work and community input is needed before moving forward. WHY are we considering changes? Over the years the current Human Rights, Inclusion and Engagement Commission has held several forms, three names, and taken on many different purposes. Dozens of commissioners have put in hundreds of hours of work on behalf of the City and the community. Their work and dedication have helped make Roseville better. The City’s needs are changing as laws change at the State level, as society changes, and as our community becomes more diverse. Human Rights are critical in our city and our world. We have seen in other parts of the country and our world that human rights are not to be taken for granted. At the same time, the City has little statutory authority over human rights, with that power lying with the State of Minnesota and the Federal Government. This legal separation has created some misunderstandings of purpose for the commission over time. The City has also made major strides in engagement work including the shifting of our communications department to a Community Relations department, staff training in the IAP2 community engagement model and the development of our Racial Equity Toolkit. The Commission’s work on engagement both when split as a Community Engagement Commission and in its current HRIEC form have helped make these deeper changes possible. The HRIEC with its current purpose, scope and duties and in its current format has struggled to find relevance in serving the City and the City Council and to create a sense of meaningful volunteer work for members. On average it has lost 2/3rds of its membership each year over the last five years. We do not have a model that is serving the City the way the Council or appointed commission members desire. Subcommittee members and City staff have met with Culture Brokers and several current and former members of the HRIEC as well as other diverse leaders in our community over the last few months. Two major themes have come forward in these discussions. First, over the last five to ten years the City has made substantial changes to operations and staff including participating in the GARE process, creating the SREAP, creating an Equity and Inclusion Manager position, and having ongoing staff training around equity and community engagement. The State of MN has also made a number of changes including approving same sex marriage and is working towards correcting many historial wrongs for human rights. Building on this work is important. A second major theme is that many current and former HRIEC Commissioners feel like the purposes outlined in City Code by the City Council do not match their interests or what they find valuable for their time. We have lost many valuable commission members to the frustrations caused by this mismatch. We need to reevaluate what can best move the City forward as well as provide an avenue for robust and meaningful community input. The most common feeling expressed is that the focus needs to be on systemic changes in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This work needs to be impactful for the City and its residents and it needs to be valuable to those serving in volunteer roles. We are proposing to Qbhf!59!pg!62