Human Relations Commission

Regular Meeting

DeKalb, IL · August 2, 2022

Minutes

Minutes City of DeKalb Human Relations Commission August 2, 2022 The Human Relations Commission (HRC) held a regular meeting on August 2, 2022, in the Second Floor Training Room at the DeKalb Police Department. A. Roll Call The meeting was called to order at 6:03 pm. The following members of the HRC were present: Joe Gastiger (Chair), Nadine Franklin, Norden Gilbert and Lisa King. Other City officials/staff present: • Mayor Cohen Barnes • City Manager Bill Nicklas • Scott Zak, Management Analyst and Staff Liaison to the HRC B. Approval of Agenda – Additions/Deletions Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to approve the agenda. It was motioned by Ms. King and seconded by Ms. Franklin. The agenda was approved by unanimous voice vote. C. Approval of Minutes – June 7, 2022 Regular Meeting Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Ms. Franklin motioned, seconded by Ms. King. A minor correction was made. The minutes were approved by unanimous voice vote. D. Public Participation – Resident JJ Wett spoke on the frequency of HRC meetings. He recommended the Commission hold regular meetings quarterly but also hold quarterly listening sessions around the City. Ms. King agreed it would be a good idea to alternate the ward in which the Commission meets. E. Old Business 1. Progress Report on the Redevelopment in the AGN Neighborhood Mayor Barnes shared the City Council is holding two listening sessions to receive community input on the best uses for the now-vacant, City-owned property at West Hillcrest Drive and Blackhawk Road. During the first session, the Council heard from a variety of groups, including Opportunity DeKalb, the Greek Row community and Fox Hollow residents, and heard a variety of ideas, including a grocery store and a cafeteria for Greek housing. Input will also be gathered by the Opportunity DeKalb organization, which is holding sessions on the larger Annie Glidden North neighborhood, and Mayor Barnes said City officials are hearing ideas from people individually. The merits of different ideas for the Blackhawk/Hillcrest property were discussed, and it was noted operation costs must be considered, so the development will be a public/private partnership. Chair Gastiger asked if there have been conversations with Kishwaukee College on a job training site, noting a satellite site would eliminate the obstacle of traveling to the College. Mayor Barnes added that soft skills training is also vital, so job training should be kept top of mind. Ms. King suggested the City check with the Mariano’s grocery store chain, which has opened stores in low-income areas of Chicago. F. New Business 1. Discussion on HRC meeting schedule Chair Gastiger recalled past accomplishments of the Commission, including investigating concerns involving policing, advocating for the LGBT and disabled communities, responding to concerns raised during the Black Lives Matter movement and an overhaul of the Tenant/Landlord Handbook. He said the question now is what’s next. City Manager Nicklas shared the Economic Development Commission recently had the very same conversation and agreed to change from meeting on a regular schedule to ad hoc meetings called by the Mayor or a majority of the Commission. He said this might be a good option for the HRC, especially now the Citizens’ Police Review Board has been created to address policing issues. Mayor Barnes said his concern is using the time of City staff and Commissioners to hold monthly meetings when there may be no need to meet. City Manager Nicklas said he does not anticipate adding staff for the City’s 14 commissions since the City is instead staffing up for operations in the Fire, Police and Public Works departments. He added the mission of the new Belonging Council overlaps that of the HRC. Ms. King said her concern is the work of the HRC will be reduced along with its schedule. She said a future Mayor might discourage the Commission from meeting and that having meetings monthly makes the HRC accessible to the community. Chair Gastiger said he would not support meeting only at the Mayor’s discretion, but Mayor Barnes reminded the Commission would also be able to call their own meetings. City Manager Nicklas said another option would be for the Commission to do its own work, including keeping minutes. It was noted the Finance Advisory Committee also meets on demand, but Ms. King said the nature of finance is different and the HRC is meeting the needs of those who historically do not have access to government. City Manager Nicklas noted most issues addressed by the HRC have originated from the Commission. Mr. Gilbert suggested meeting every other month but would like to continue meeting on a regular basis. Ms. Franklin said she agreed the Commission does not need to meet monthly and suggested it go out into the community so more residents know the HRC exists. She would also like to see the City give the Commission work to do. As discussion on the meeting options continued, Mayor Barnes noted it could be difficult to come up with work for the Commission since there are now new organizations working on specific areas the HRC has addressed in the past. The conversation turned to possible work for the Commission. Chair Gastiger said he would like to see a universal intake form created for those needing social services perhaps along with a staffed office. City Manager Nicklas noted Opportunity DeKalb may eventually have an office. Mr. Gilbert said the City can come to the HRC to give input on items. Chair Gastiger said a collaborative project can be done with Opportunity DeKalb to compile the services that agencies provide. The discussion returned to the meeting schedule, and Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to change the Commission’s meeting schedule to every other month. Mr. Gilbert motioned the recommendation be made to the City Council, seconded by Ms. King. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. Chair Gastiger asked for a motion for the Commission to investigate the possibility of meeting in the City’s different wards to get input from citizens. The motion was made by Ms. King, seconded by Ms. Franklin. Chair Gastiger added that could mean attending other meetings, such as PTO meetings, and Ms. King suggested attending ward meetings held by City Council members. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. City Manager Nicklas noted if the Commission meets at remote locations, meeting places will need to be arranged and proper notice will need to be made as required by the Open Meetings Act. Chair Gastiger questioned whether the full commission would meet at a remote site or rather one or two members would attend other group’s meetings to introduce the HRC. Mayor Barnes supported the second idea and said he would be interested in joining those introductions. The discussion will continue at the next meeting. G. Adjournment Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Franklin made the motion, seconded by Ms. King. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. The meeting was declared adjourned at 7:30 p.m. The next meeting is October 4. Scott Zak, Management Analyst & HRC Liaison Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on October 4, 2022.

Agenda

AGENDA Human Relations Commission Meeting August 2, 2022 6:00 PM Note Amended Time DeKalb Police Department 700 W Lincoln Hwy 2nd Floor Training Room DeKalb, Illinois 60115 A. Roll Call B. Approval of Agenda – Additions/Deletions C. Approval of Minutes – June 7, 2022 D. Public Participation E. Old Business 1. Progress Report on Redevelopment in the AGN Neighborhood F. New Business 1. Discussion on HRC meeting schedule G. Adjournment Minutes City of DeKalb Human Relations Commission June 7, 2022 The Human Relations Commission (HRC) held a regular meeting on June 7, 2022 in the Second Floor Training Room at the DeKalb Police Department. A. Roll Call The meeting was called to order at 6:08 pm. The following members of the HRC were present: Joe Gastiger (Chair), Nadine Franklin, Lisa King and Andre Powell. Other City officials/staff present: • City Manager Bill Nicklas • Scott Zak, Management Analyst and Staff Liaison to the HRC B. Approval of Agenda – Additions/Deletions Ms. King said she would have an announcement under New Business. Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to approve the agenda. It was motioned by Ms. King and seconded by Ms. Franklin. The agenda was approved by unanimous voice vote. C. Approval of Minutes – April 5, 2022 Regular Meeting Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Ms. King motioned, seconded by Ms. Franklin. The minutes were approved by unanimous voice vote. D. Public Participation – Resident Mark Charvat said license plate readers (LPRs) were discussed several times by the Commission but the LPR policy never went to the City Council and he felt it should. Mr. Charvat said gas prices are high and the City is generating additional revenue through a 2.75 percent sales tax on non-food items. He said the gas tax should be temporarily eliminated since it is regressive or there should be a discussion on how the additional revenue is spent. Chair Gastiger said the Commission will take the suggestion under advisement and that it might be a topic the Finance Advisory Committee wants to take up. City Manager Nicklas explained the LPR policy is an operational policy of the Police Department and that operational policies do not have to go before the City Council. He said the Police Department has been approved to access the databases used by the LPRs and they are now operational. Ms. Franklin read a letter from Joe Mitchell, pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. He said the community is excited about the demolitions of the 912 Edgebrook Drive apartment building, Campus Cinemas building and Hunter Hillcrest shopping center and that the vacancies represent hope, opportunity and a brighter future. He said chatter around the Annie Glidden North (AGN) neighborhood and its residents is a stereotyping and misrepresentation often grounded in racism that will take years of labor and engagement of the AGN residents to change. He said the voices of AGN residents are often overlooked and devalued. He said the AGN Revitalization Plan sets a goal to work towards. He said the redevelopment of the Hunter Hillcrest property should not just make a developer rich but meet the needs of those living in the neighborhood. Pastor Mitchell said he is concerned the development will become a colonization opportunity by individuals suffering from white savior syndrome and that he is concerned that those who do not live or operate in the community will tell those who do what they need. He said the residents should not be overlooked, that there is no such thing as collecting too much information from the people and that government leaders may need to go into the neighborhood and engage the residents. Ms. King moved up her announcement to this portion of the agenda. She said the Mental Health Advisory Board is conducting a survey and would like every organization and its members to complete it and pass it on to others. She said the survey will help DeKalb County improve mental health services. Returning to Pastor Mitchell’s comments, Chair Gastiger said he wants to be mindful of white savior syndrome but does not want to start from square one, noting efforts were made to gather community input by the task force that developed the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan. He said he wants to be mindful of the community input already received while continuing discussions with the community. Chair Gastiger distributed the core goals of the AGN Revitalization Plan. They include developing cohesion between the neighborhood and the rest of the City, providing residents with a foundation to thrive economically as long-term members of the community, increasing access to healthy food and addressing deficiencies in social services. Ms. King asked why the goal to grow the local tax base with new residents does not include existing residents. Chair Gastiger said he did not know why but believes many of the goals fall under the Commission’s purvue. Ms. King said revitalizing the AGN should be seen as a Citywide investment. Chair Gastiger notes the DeKalb Park District built a splash pad in Welsh Park to help make the neighborhood a destination, so there have been efforts to incorporate the whole City. Ms. Franklin said opening a Trader Joe’s in the AGN would draw more people. Mr. Powell noted you first need to have someone who wants to build a Trader Joe’s. City Nicklas said Trader Joe’s has been on the City’s radar for ten years but there is not enough population here, noting the City has 40,000 residents while the chain’s Batavia location has 1.5 million people within 25 miles. E. Old Business F. New Business 1. Progress Report on Redevelopment in the AGN Neighborhood City Manager Nicklas presented a brief history of the City’s contributions to the AGN redevelopment. He says through demolitions, the City has created space for positive developments but the community will discuss what the specific uses will be starting with direction from the City Council. Mr. Nicklas said four building initiatives had to be done after it was determined the area with the most decrepit properties and crime was the core of the neighborhood. The City went to court and took ownership of the 912 Edgebrook apartment building. Nicklas said it had to be demolished and the resulting green space has been beneficial. Mr. Nicklas said the Hunter Hillcrest shopping center was known to be decrepit but the City did not yet have a foothold in that area. That came when the City was able to arrange a land swap for property adjacent to Campus Cinemas. From there, an agreement was reached to demolish the movie theater. For Hunter Hillcrest, a settlement was reached where the City could make an offer to purchase four of Hunter Properties’ largest complexes. The City took ownership of Hunter Hillcrest, which has been razed, and the property will be seeded once the crushed concrete at the site is cleared. Mr. Nicklas said Hunter is claiming to own a spite strip on the east end of the Hunter Hillcrest property, but he said County records show it is the City’s property. In total, Mr. Nicklas said the City has invested $4.8 million in the AGN neighborhood over three-and-a-half years. Chair Gastiger said he hopes the discussions on the future of the Hunter Hillcrest property go into the AGN neighborhood. Mr. Nicklas said the project will need to be sustainable since it is unlikely there will be federal money for support. He said that means the project will need to be profitable, and for the project to be profitable, it will need to be something that draws people into the neighborhood. Mr. Powell questioned whether crime needs to be addressed first. Mr. Nicklas said following the sale of Hunter Tri-Frat, Hunter Ridgebrook and Lincoln Tower, police calls have gone down, more people are paying rent and families are feeling better. Ms. King discussed successful neighborhood revitalizations in Chicago and suggested talking with those who have done this elsewhere. Mr. Nicklas said the City has done this, talking with groups from Chicago, including nonprofits. He said an option for Hunter Hillcrest is creating a short list of uses and then putting out a request for proposals, which can always be redone if the responses are not acceptable. He said the hard part is over and now is the point to work together and talk frankly while also making a decision. Ms. King said a postcard survey with the top possible uses for the property may be a good idea for soliciting input. Chair Gastiger said he did not want to discount what other groups have done, including a recent meeting by Opportunity DeKalb with around 70 attendees. Ms. Powell said building relationships may be necessary to solicit input since postcards may be thrown out. Ms. King added that new residents have moved to the neighborhood since the AGN plan was created, so you do not want to leave those people out. Ms. King said she would like to see a Farmers’ Market or other events in the neighborhood. Mr. Powell said a new building will be needed to grow the community. G. Adjournment Chair Gastiger asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Powell made the motion, seconded by Ms. King. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. The meeting was declared adjourned at 7:37 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for July 5, 2022. Scott Zak, Management Liaison & HRC Liaison Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on August 2, 2022.