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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, January 22, 2024 Page 6 Mayor Roe asked if Councilmember Groff needed to see the rest of the Council and Commission for legally being in attendance. City Attorney Tierney explained because there is not a vote, there is less of an issue and the City can allow him to participate but he would not be considered present at the meeting as a voting member under the open meeting law. Councilmember Groff was able to get his audio working and thanked the Commission for all of the work that has been done. He indicated he was getting all of the points he has been concerned about as far as retention, direction, understanding, and making the work simplified. The other document was too complicated. He thought the Commission was heading in the right direction and he supports the work. Councilmember Strahan wanted to make sure the City did not remove from the Commission the power to be a mediator through advocacy. She noted that when she goes the State Department of Human Rights website, it indicates specifically that “Local Human Rights Commissions are essential to building a thriving joyful Minnesota typically established by charter or ordinance, local commissions operated in a city, county, or regional level to protect civil rights and promote equity and inclusion. Local commissions engage in a wide range of activities, from mediation to education and outreach.” She did not want to mute the Commission’s ability to be an advocate for others within the city because if the Commission is not able to be that, then she did not see the Commission having ‘human rights’ as part of their name because it is a part of the essence and the meaning of what a Human Right Commission is and does. She did not want to remove advocacy from their ability or goals and actions. She thought the City needed to find a way for people to come in and to make it easy for them to be able to engage, get involved, and stay on the Commission. Mayor Roe explained he wanted to be careful, noting that certainly the language at the State website is encompassing of all Human Rights Commissions across the State and different cities do have different roles for their Commissions. Just because it is mentioned in the State’s general statement, does not necessarily mean it applies to every city. He thought the State was trying to encompass the range of things that different Human Rights Commissions across the State do. That would be his only caution there; that the City does not necessarily give themselves a role that is only there in another city because it has a specific charter provision that says it does that. He thought there was a concern on the part of the Council that representatives of the City, as an organization, take on a role of advocating for individuals in individual cases. He did not know if that would be considered appropriate by the community. He also did not think that was entirely fair to the members of the Commission either, to put folks in that role because that may not be something a particular individual or individuals are knowledgeable about, want to do, or feel comfortable doing. That would be his only caution. The Commission needs to think Qbhf!79!pg!354