Minutes Human Rights 1 12 04DUBUQUE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
MINUTES OF
January 12, 2004
Judy Giesen called the meeting of the Dubuque Human Rights Commission to order at 4:17 p.m. on
Monday, January 12, 2004, in Conference Room 2 at the City Hall Annex.
Roll Call:
Present:
Sarah Davidson
Penny Ehlinger
Patdcia Foster
Judy Giesen
Evelyn Jackson
Corrine Murray
Bill Ross
Lou Oswald
Vincent Vanden Huevel
Staff: Kelly Larson
Bill Blum
Carol Spinoso
Approval of Minutes
Commissioner Vanden Huevel moved to approve the December 8, 2003 meeting minutes as
submitted. Commissioner Oswald seconded. All in favor.
Review Plan of Action for Established Goals
1) Welcoming New Residents -Corine
Commissioner Murray reported that the committee will be meeting Tuesday, January
13, 2004, from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Lantern Center. There will be representatives
from the Mamhallese community in attendance. Chuck Ryan will continue to serve on
this subcommittee.
She announced that the '~/Velcome to Dubuque" resource brochure is now available in
Spanish.
2) Human Rights in the Schools - Evelyn, Lou
Commissioner Jackson introduced Dave Patton, who is a subcommittee member.
Evelyn met with Kris Hall today, and he indicated that the schools have programs in
place to deal with human dghts issues. These programs are designed to meet the
needs of the individual school. Kris will be in contact with representatives of these
groups to arrange presentations for the commission.
3) Sexual Orientation - Bill, Judy, Vince
Commissioner Giesen introduced Tara Nelson, a subcommittee member.
Commissioner Ross stated that the subcommittee is currently gathering information to
be compiled into report form. Once the Commission has approved the report it will be
distributed to churches, service organizations, businesses, and the schools. They will
then have follow-up conversation with the recipients of the report. They are planning
on meeting one-on-one with each city council member to share the information they've
gathered. They will then request a public hearing. They also have plans to produce a
video.
4) Disability Awareness/Education - Penny, Lou, Sarah
Commissioner Ehlinger mpo~ted that the group is continuing to refine the assessment
process, and that Bob Lehnhardt is revising the checklist. Penny has contacted Chris
Wand, an architect with the Durrant Group, and he has agreed to be a consultant for
the group.
Caseload Report
Carol summarized the December Caseload Report. There were twenty-seven intakes, four cases in
backlog, eight cases in active investigation, two cases in mediation, six cases in administrative review,
one case in administrative law judge review, two cases in the public hearing process, three new cases
were filed, and one case was closed. The case synopsis involves age discrimination in the area of
employment.
Chairperson's Report
Commissioner Giesen reported that currently there is only one commission application on file, and
she encouraged commissioners to continue with their recruiting efforts.
Judy urged each subcommittee group to consider promoting their goals by submitting releases to the
TH. Those releases will need Commission approval.
Director's Report
Kelly provided a written report highlighting past and future initiatives.
Kelly announced that the deadline for registration for the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast is
January 14.
Endorsement of the League of Iowa Human Rights Agencies Position Statement
The Iowa League of Cities has recommended that the state mandate that required cities over 29,000
to have adequately funded and staffed human rights agencies be removed from the state code. In
response to that recommendation, the League of Iowa Human Rights Agencies has written a position
statement to be sent to the state legislature.
After review of that position statement, Commissioner Oswald moved to endorse the League of Iowa
Human Rights Agencies position statement. Commissioner Murray second. All in favor.
DCAP Appointment
Corine moved to appoint Commissioner Oswald as the Commission's primary representative to
DCAP, and Commissioner Foster as the alternate. Commissioner Ehlinger seconded. All in favor.
Adioumment
Commissioner Ross moved and Commissioner Vanden Huevel seconded to adjourn the meeting. All
in favor. The meeting adjourned at 5:33 p.m.
Minutes approved as submitted:
Minutes approved as corrected: