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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 11/08/2007 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2007 7:00 PM, 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Community Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Cari Maguire (Chair), Melissa Barra (Vice chair), Daniel Abraira, Larry Piumbroeck, Jeff Strate, Gerry Beckmann, and Pam Spera. STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Nelum Madanayake, Kevin Karner, and Jacqueline Clevette COMMISSION STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Staff Liaison Mary Zilka, Recording Secretary GUESTS: Carol Strate, Paul and Carmen Radke I. ROLL CALL Commission Chair Maguire called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM. Daniel Abraira was absent. All Student Representatives for this term were present. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Maguire added Library Celebration under old business. The group informally approved the meeting agenda. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OCTOBER MEETING Commission Beckmann noted that Nanette Missaghi was misspelled throughout the minutes. Commissioner Maguire page 7, last paragraph, change to League of Human Rights Commission instead of Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Commissioner Spera would like the sentence on page 6, 4 paragraph striked"easier to make sure comments like "we're hiring the right people" at the mall not happen". MOTION: Commissioner Jeff Strate moved, Commissioner Larry Piumbroeck seconded. Motion carried 6-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS V. REPORTS OF STAFF Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes November 8, 2007 Page 2 A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) Molly Koivumaki reported The Human Services Review Committee did not meet in November. B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS Koivumaki reported a Chinese Family had the word"China Boo' spray-painted on the side of their home. No suspects, no other damage or incidents. Investigation is continuing. C. OTHER NOTES FROM STAFF Koivumaki has had some Meet and Greet Opportunities and welcomed any Commission Member to join her if they are interested. Beckmann suggested Wal-Mart would be a good meet and greet, Koivumaki thought Lifetouch and Birchwood Labs could also be a great meet and greet. Koivumaki reported that she visited SuperValu headquarters and met with their Diversity & Inclusion staff and learned about the programs that they offer employees throughout the nation. Koivumaki reported that she attended the Community Partners event sponsored by Hennepin Technical College and later met with their Director of Diversity & Affirmative Action to learn more about their programs and resources. This person is also on the Falcon Heights Human Rights and Commission and she would like to come and give information to the HRDC from HTC and see how Eden Prairie runs their HRDC. Koivumaki will invite people from the organizations she visits to attend an HRDC meeting to provide updates and insights. Koivumaki provided a report that showed mortgage foreclosures in Eden Prairie, Bloomington, and Richfield from November 2006 through October 2007. Koivumaki is working on a foreclosure prevention program, using Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) funds to help people keep their homes through refinancing or reconstructing the mortgage debt. Commissioner Strate and Sperra have been registered for the Human Rights Day on December 7cn VI. OLD BUSINESS A. LIBRARY CELEBRATION—CARI MAGUIRE Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes November 8, 2007 Page 3 The library celebration is going to be Thursday, November 29, 2007. Maguire asked the HRDC to let her know if they could attend November 29, 2007, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Please let Commissioner Maguire know ASAP if you cannot attend on November 29, 2007. Koivumaki and Maguire went to the library and saw the display and it is very interesting. Koivumaki adding a local perspective on the historical society, using items from their collection of artifacts. Koivumaki is going to the Historical Society meeting on November 15, 2007 and finalize with them. Beckmann thinks that is a wonderful idea and important for the residents of Eden Prairie to understand that we were once immigrants too. Maguire said she is planning to have easels set up with pictures and personal story to go with it. Beckmann suggested former Police Chief Jim Clark's family would be a wonderful story. Clark's family was among the first pioneers of Eden Prairie. Maguire asked for volunteers to please help. Mary Zilka volunteered to type some stories. Maguire also is going to have the Solution Finder DVD on a TV, looping constantly with a few chairs for people to sit down, watch the DVD, and have a discussion if they choose. A grant from Best Buy will be used to purchase food for the event. Commissioner Barra will be getting the money from Best Buy next week. City of Eden Prairie Communication Department will do the marketing. VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS A. SOUTH HENNEPIN IMMIGRANT SERVICES GROUP(SHISG) Mohamed Jibrell—Hennepin. County GAP Project. The project is not for people currently on welfare, for people new to the country and that are not on welfare. The other program Simply Good Eating Program was also presented, this program comes from the Federal Government and the Extension Service of the U of M. They have an office at the Hennepin County Services Center in Eden Prairie. Simply Good Eating teaches 6-10 lessons on food safety, nutrition, etc. The staff put on demonstrations of the good fats to eat. Many immigrants have developed diabetes since moving to this country. Lack of exercise and eating such different foods then they ate in their country. Beckmann asked what a traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner would be. For breakfast, they would usually have flatbread and tea. Lunch is the big meal of the day, which could include in addition to flatbread and tea, some meat, vegetables and fruit. If you lived in the city and you might have almost the same for dinner,but most of the nomadic people would have just had bread. B. ANY COMMISSION MEMBER MAY REPORT Jeff Strate shared a report he had from Mike Boland, an Eden Prairie Resident regarding the Eden Prairie Community Center. Mr. Boland also headed the 2004 Park and Recreation referendum that failed. Strate requested that the HRDC send Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes November 8, 2007 Page 4 an advisory memo (per the memo draft) to the City Council. Strate shared the brochure of the new Community Center Fees for 2008, but has not been approved by the City Council yet. Strate also passed out the Community Development 2000 Census report and Chaska Community Center fee schedule for memberships. Strate has talked to Laurie Obiazor from Parks and Recreation and Wendy Sevenich from the Community Center Manager, about his concerns and believes there are many reasons for the HRDC to comment on the new fees. In 2007, the annual family membership fee was $265.00. The proposed cost for 2008 is $924.00 annual family member fee. This is a significant rise. Chaska Community Center annual family membership is $332.00. The Community Center still does have a daily schedule for people to use their facilities for a one- time ice- skating, swimming, exercise room, etc. Strate thinks the new fee excludes the middle class and low- income families who pay taxes and may want to become a member of the Community Center, could view this new Community Center as another club they cannot join. There are enormous challenges for the operating costs for the new community center are far greater than anyone anticipated 2 years ago and they are going to have to make ends meet one way or another. Maguire commented that it is reasonable compared to a private club for instance substantially less than you would pay to belong to Lifetime Fitness, etc. Strate feels the community center should be available to all of the community and not all of the community could afford fees. Maguire asked if the Park & Rec. Commission are going to recommend talking about fees. Strate said yes,but he still feels this is part of our HRDC to make sure that anyone who wants to use this facility can afford it. Piumbroeck feels like the HRDC would be making a recommendation without facts. Piumbroeck does not feel this is HRDC business,he believes it is the Park and Rec. Commission business. Maguire does not think this is the time for HRDC to share their concerns since the council is looking for ways to keep taxes down. Maguire would rather advocate for the Office of Housing and Human Services possible cuts. Maguire agrees that this is a Park and Rec. Commission concern right now. Beckmann commented she thinks that the HRDC could write a memo to the Park and Rec. Commission with their concerns, but it is Park and Rec. Commission business. Spera has a different issue concerning the new Community Center. If you belong to Lifetime Fitness, you did not vote to have your taxes raised to pay for Lifetime Fitness. The families who voted expecting that their taxes would go up by $100 per year, but they would have a much nicer community center and then to find out it will cost$900 extra than just taxes, this looks like fraud. Spera agrees with Strate to bring this to the City Council's attention. Spera does see every ones opinion here, but still thinks people might want there tax money back since they cannot afford to join the Community Center. Spera believes this is a huge issue of diversity. Strate said we are an advisory council to the City Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes November 8, 2007 Page 5 Council not the Park and Rec. Commission. Strate recommends a nice proactive advisory letter. Scott Neal, City Manager arrived at 8 PM. Barra concerns are with the"have" and the "have not's." This is a steep increase. Barra feels that we need to pick our battles. Maguire would like to table this resolution. Neal does not think the Community Center fees will come before the City Council until December 18, 2007. MOTION: Strate motioned to send an advisory memo to the City Council with the language crafted tonight. Spera seconded. Beckmann called the question because she is not willing to vote on a memo that is not completed tonight. Beckmann does not think this need to go to the City Council,but to the Park and Rec. Commission. Beckmann believes we should craft the memo to the Park and Rec. Commission to share our concerns regarding the steep increase for the Community Center and how it will affect our folks of diversity. MOTION DOES NOT PASS. Student Representative Nelum Madanayake thinks that the new fees will directly affect the high school students. Many high school students cannot afford to go to a private club and at the high school, their equipment is used first by the athletic teams and then if any other student wants to use it, they have to pay a fee. Speras understanding is that that many of the lower income high school students are not allowed to play sports because they cannot afford the registration fees and now they cannot afford to use the Community Center. Spera agrees with Strate that this is going to directly affect diversity and this is our duty to represent the diverse population in our city. There are scholarships available at the Community Center, which will continue. There is a Passport to Fun Program at the Community Center. Beckmann thinks this Passport to Fun Program is magnificent. If you qualify for it, you get a discount on your recreation. Neal said it is used heavily during summer months because you can use it on the recreation programs. Barra asked Neal how it works. Barra said if it were a 10% discount on a $900 program, it still would not be affordable. It helps,but would it be enough. The Passport to Fun Program is limited to $150 per person if they qualify. Piumbroeck said we are wandering in places we do not belong. He believes we are looking at solving a problem that we do not even know exists yet. Barra asked Neal about Community Center data regarding their users. Neal said they do not keep that data yet,but they will in the new facility. Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes November 8, 2007 Page 6 Neal thinks HRDC comments of this nature are actually best placed to the Parks and Rec. Commission. Taxes went up to fund the construction of the building Neal said; we hope with the new structure that the user fees will operate it. Barra asked Neal if the Community Center is it managed like a business. Who are my customers today and am I serving them well? Scott Neal said it is a practical question. They operate the Community Center like a department within our General Fund Budget. Neal said they moving towards having the Community Center having its own P&L like the liquor stores. They are not recommending that this year,but that is the goal to have the Community Center as a stand alone in 2010. The City hired someone from Lifetime Fitness to help the City move towards the stand-alone. MOTION: Strate made a motion to send letter to Parks and Rec. Commission regarding concerns written tonight, seconded by Spera. Motion carried: 4 yes, 1 no. Strate requested that Spera and Beckmann review the memo before it is sent to the Park and Rec. Commission. Beckman attend the Teens Alone Summit Meeting today. Beckmann gave the HRDC members informational handouts. Beckmann reported that there is some money coming to help Teen Homelessness according to Pawlenty and we will be hearing more about that through the media and the newspaper. It was an interesting meeting. Student Representatives put up the library display and it looks great. Native American Month will be the next display. Koivumaki reported that she had a comment from a gay person who watched Maguire's HRDC update on the EPTV and he wondered why the GLBT group was not among one to display. Maguire found out that June is the month for recognition of GLBT and we do not have the library display that month,but will try to figure something out with the library. Neal asked if there were any questions regarding the budget. December 18 is the final approval. Practical deadline ought to be Dec. 3,but we are off cycle because of the elections. They will vote on outsource agency funding during the Council Meeting. The Council Workshop will be on the Eden Prairie Community Technology Task Force. Council does not have a second meeting in November. There will be a November 27, Town Meeting with the Council at Fire Station 4. Maguire asked if they are going to approve the grants and Neal said that is his feel, but he does not have a feel about the two positions in this office. Neal also commended Chair Maguire on the strategies she has been using. Maguire has been very positive and very professional and has moved people in the right direction. The Council will not have any discussion until Dec. 3. The November Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes November 8, 2007 Page 7 27 open town meeting is not a time for discussion, it is the community times to speak to their elected officials. Spera asked how many employees of the city are Somali. Neal responded one. Maguire asked about John Gertz position changing and inquired if Khadra Duale will be given the same consideration and treatment as others who could loose their jobs. When is the last time there was a lay off? Scott Neal does not know if John Gertz will be loosing his job or not. Neal said Khadra Duale would not be treated differently than other people who have been laid off before, but we don't have any history of how we'd do that. Spera asked Neal if he said there haven't been any lay offs at all, so Khadra would be the first one. Neal replied that all he could comment on was that in his time with the City, going back to 2002,he couldn't recall any." Spera asked Neal if the City is aware of how it will set itself up for a city lawsuit, which is going to cost the city much more than Duale's salary as being the only layoff in 20 years and the only Somali employee in the City. Neal did remember custodial layoffs did happen right before he started. Neal mentioned that the Budget Advisory Commission (BAC) was new this year and last month he sat down received feedback, seeing what there roles will be going forward. Since the City has a two-year budget process, the second year regarding the BAC will need to be discussed. Piumbroeck asked is there anything you see this commission should be doing for the Council. Neal does not see the City Council requesting anything. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC Meeting will be on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at the same time and location. Maguire reminded the Commission of the library event on November 29. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Strate moved to adjourn the November 8, 2007 meeting of the HRDC, seconded by Piumbroeck. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 PM.