CCP 02242025 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, March 11, 2024 Page 8 Mr. James stated he cannot believe that the entire Council decided at the end of January that the Commission is not working anymore and something different needed to be done with it. He explained if the Council had concerns about how the HRIEC is functioning, how the HRIEC can structure themselves, why didn’t the Council bring that to the Commission and present it to them. The Commission would have listened, changed, helped, and done things differently but the Commission has not had that direction from the Council. He indicated the Council has not done their job as Councilperson Strahan pointed out. Mr. James explained the Council should be able to direct the Commission to focus on things every year so the Commission can work on a workplan and bring it back to the City Council for approval. That is not the way it has been happening. It has been the Commission coming to the Council to tell the Council what the Commission thinks the Council wants the HRIEC to work on. He explained that is not fair to the Commissioners. It is not fair to the Commission to be judged that the HRIEC has not done the right thing without the Council telling the HRIEC what the right thing should be. He indicated the Commission is left in limbo and does not know what the Council wants the them to do. st Mr. James asked the Council what the HRIEC is supposed to do after March 31 when people leave the Commission? He hoped the Council had thought about this. He thought that was a decision that needs to be made tonight by the Council, so the HRIEC has some direction going forward. Mr. James believed the Council focus on the human rights aspect of Chapter 205 is misguided. He explained since he has been on the Commission, members have never discussed going out to talk to people about human rights. The Commission does not do that. The Commissioners go out and listen and if someone has an issue with human rights, the Commission will talk about it and give it to the Council. The Commissioners do not want to direct the Council; the Commissioners want to tell the Council and be ambassadors to the community. In the past, the Commission has not had a lot of opportunities other than standing around to talk to people and bring back to the Council what is being talked about in the community and what are believed to be important issues. He explained the Commission has a plan to do that this coming year. He indicated the Commission does not expect solutions this evening, which is why urgency is needed from the Council for what the Commission is to do starting in April. Mr. James explained he personally has a bunch of ideas about how the Council can put all of these things together, have an evaluative group working, have a group of non-commission people perhaps working with the Commission so that there is a formal Commission but also another group that is coordinating with the Commission. He has a lot of ideas, but no one has reached out to him or to the Vice-Chair to find out what they think, what the Commission is doing, or what is planned. He takes that as a personal insult and thought it was disrespectful to the Commission. Mr. Elliot Franke, HRIEC Commissioner Mr. Franke stated he appreciated this discussion. He has felt some of the frustrations the Council has been talking about. He stated when the HRIEC has its meetings, the Council may Qbhf!91!pg!354