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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 11/12/2009 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION (HRDC) THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Pam Spera(Chair), Marcy Harris (Vice Chair), Peter Huck, Linda Crawford and Lauren Juergensen STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Manager- Housing and Community Services Heidi Wojahn, Recorder STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Adam Liter, Muna Shire and Fardowsa Ali I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Spera called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Commissioners Linda Crawford and Lauren Juergensen were excused from this evening's meeting. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA VII.A. Conflict Resolution Training - Harris was added to the agenda. Revised agenda approved by informal consent. It was decided this training does not fall under the open meeting law guidelines where HRDC business will be conducted; therefore, Heidi Wojahn's presence at the training is not required. Harris requested a list of items needing approval at the next meeting be made. III. MINUTES October 8, 2009 minutes approved by informal consent. IV. NEW BUSINESS None. V. REPORTS FROM STAFF - Koivumaki A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) Koivumaki gave a historical perspective on HSRC stating Human Services funding recommendations were made by HRDC beginning in the late 1970s with Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) as the funding source. In 1988, the Commission recommended the formation of a Human Services Coordinating HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 12, 2009 Page 2 Council, separate from the Commission, which was comprised of residents and a City staff person. General Fund and CDBG were the sources of funding. In the mid-1990s, the committee reorganized from a citizen advisory group to an internal staff committee. Council members participated with the committee. In 2004, Council participation was eliminated by the City Manager. Currently HSRC is comprised of staff from Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation, and Community Development. The purpose of HSRC is to develop a consistent, coordinated, cross-functional approach to dealing with the evolving human services needs of the Eden Prairie community. The goal of HSRC is to develop and implement long-range strategies that support City Council Strategic Initiatives: • Invest resources in people, programs, facilities, and infrastructure to support a vital community. • Reflect our community's diversity and changing demographics in our provision of services and programs. The responsibilities of HSRC are to: • Identify unmet needs in the community in the area of human services and initiate efforts to address these needs through coordination of existing resources. • Provide ongoing evaluation of services provided by the City to ensure appropriateness and cost effectiveness. • Review funding requests from human service providers and provide funding recommendations to the City Council based on identified need, value, and benefit to the City. B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS Koivumaki asked if the commissioners were aware of any backlash towards Muslims in the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings. Nobody had heard of any reported incidents. C. OTHER REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. Religious Holiday Policy Update Several questions were raised about the Religious Holiday and Diversity Policy at the Department Directors meeting following last month's HRDC HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 12, 2009 Page 3 meeting. As a result, Scott Neal placed the item under his City Manager's Report for an update to the Council rather than on the Council's October 20 agenda for action. This allows HRDC more time for deliberation before the proposed policy is presented to Council for consideration at its November 17 meeting. Among the items needing clarification are: 1) what major world religions will be accommodated and how to verify those faiths having more than a nominal number of Eden Prairie residents, 2) which major religious holidays will be accommodated, 3) should there be a differentiation between observing high holy days and cultural holidays, and 4) categorization of public meetings, special events, and regular programming. Koivumaki reported placing calls to nearby communities to gain information on their existing policies. Bloomington uses a calendar from the Multi Cultural Diversity Center when planning events,but no written policy is believed to exist. The St. Louis Park City Council's policy is not to meet on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Christmas Day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover; this information is also listed on their website. She has not heard back yet from Edina and Minnetonka. After much discussion, there was agreement the proposed language should remain strong and continue to be referred to as a "policy" when presented to Council. It was also decided the official holiday calendar designated as the calendar to consult when planning City-related meetings, events, and programming should be issued from the City Manager's office each year. Koivumaki was directed to contact Mike Miller, the leader of a local interfaith group, to seek help in formulating the calendar and getting recommendations from religious representatives affiliated with that group of what days to include. Understanding there may be differences of opinion among religious leaders about what holidays should be observed, it would be helpful to determine which ones they absolutely agree upon or deem high holy days versus religious holidays (for example, Hanukkah has some religious connotation, akin to St. Patrick's Day,but there is not a prescription to attend services or to miss work/school during it so it is not considered as sacred as a high holy day). There were different interpretations of item number 4 in Scott Neal's email to the commissioners, so Koivumaki will ask him for clarification prior to further discussion or action. 2. Contracted Services Funding Update City Council decided at its October 20 meeting not to address the Human Services funding item separately from the rest of the budget and tabled it until the December 1 meeting. The mayor sent Scott Neal some questions about the funding for which Koivumaki provided answers. It is Koivumaki's understanding human services funding is the only piece HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 12, 2009 Page 4 pulled out and looked at separately from the rest of the budget. The mayor and Councilman Duckstad recently questioned why this is being done and its fairness in relation to the rest of the budget. The reasoning is because agencies need an answer earlier for purposes of planning and formulating their own budgets. She stressed this is not"charitable giving" as it has been referred to on occasion,but rather these are fees for contracted services. The commissioners expressed discontent over the fact decisions affecting human services funding are once again being made without consulting HRDC which does not follow protocol. A follow-up letter to Council will be sent emphasizing the decision to roll it into the whole budget process rather than considering it separately should have come before HRDC. It will also bring awareness that making this decision took the committee and the commission out of the process. Harris pointed out this could essentially detain the decision even further, and human services funding may end up being decided separately from the rest of the budget after all. 3. Achievement Gap in Test Scores Koivumaki contacted the school district about making a presentation to HRDC concerning the achievement gap in test scores and what steps are being taken to close that gap. Marcia Beezley returned her call stating she had passed the request on to someone else, so hopefully something can be scheduled for early 2010. Koivumaki recently forwarded an email to the other commissioners from Crawford about a discussion session taking place today on "Academic Excellence and Equity" during which the latest test data would be presented and questions relating to student achievement would be answered. 4. Commissioner Resisnation Commissioner Daniel Abraira regretfully resigned from HRDC not long after last month's meeting due to his employment situation. There are now two openings on HRDC for which replacements will be recruited in the spring. 5. Best Buy Grant Balance is $105.10. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS PROCESS HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 12, 2009 Page 5 Koivumaki distributed materials for the Human Rights Awards process. The timeline begins January 19 with the presentation to the City Council. Nominations are due February 26 with selections being made March 11. The application refers to the Eden Prairie Manifesto; both of these documents will be available on the City's website. Typically awards cover the previous year but since HRDC skipped a year, the next awards will cover 2008 and 2009. The current cover letter will be revised to reflect this. The categories are individual, youth, non-profit, and business. VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS Harris reported registration for tomorrow's Conflict Resolution Training begins at 8:15 a.m. The program portion is scheduled to start at 8:30 with plans to be done at 3:30 or 4 p.m. There will be plenty of food and about 18 people are expected including Libby Fairchild, Chair of the Chaska Human Rights Commission, as well as representatives from Community Action. Adam Liter is unable to attend due to a school debate conflict, and it was confirmed Linda Crawford would be in attendance. Harris will be attending Parliamentary Procedure Training taught by Brian Melendez and sponsored by the Hennepin County Bar Association later this month and will report back to HRDC. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting will be Thursday, December 10, 2009, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. IX. ADJOURNMENT Chair Spera adjourned the meeting at 9:03 p.m.