Human Rights Commission

City of Morgantown Human Rights Commission Meeting Minutes for November 17, 2016 Public Safety Training Room Present: Marlene Robinson, Vice Chair Kristen Cooper Judith Wilkinson Matthew Miller, Secretary Don Spencer, Program Assistant Meeting called to order by Marlene Robinson, Vice Chair, at 6:30 PM. Public Session: There were no public participants attending the meeting. Minutes: The commissioners discussed the minutes of the October 27, 2016 meeting, Kristen moved to accept the minutes, Judith seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Communications: Attention was directed toward a provided document from CCSJ updating their current events. It was noted that November is Native American Heritage Month, and related activities around town were discussed. Attention was directed to a list on the agenda of noteworthy upcoming observances. Priority Items: Kristen presented her progress on the HRC Brochure. The commissioners responded favorably to it. A discussion followed of potential additions or changes, including adding a link to the website, attempting to make the list of Human Rights issues more particular to Morgantown and adding a calendar of Human Rights events. There is no hard deadline for the completion of the Brochure, as the first priority will be making it as good as possible. Marlene reported that there were sufficient nominations received for the Human Rights Day Awards to proceed with allowing the selection committee to choose winners. The presentation of the awards remains scheduled for the December 6th City Council Meeting. Don discussed progress on the draft update of the Human Rights Ordinance, noting that it was important to more thoroughly review the enforcement section. It was agreed that interested Commissioners would meet to discuss this at a later date. Progress Reports: The Human Rights Film Festival will be in March and April of 2017, but additional specifics are still forthcoming. Marlene noted there was no report to be given on the phone line. Development of an HRC Advisory Board remained tabled. New Business: Don Spencer led a discussion of a proposal to ask the City to rename Columbus Day as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” The Commission was interested, and it was agreed that more research would be done and the issue would be discussed further at a future meeting. Marlene discussed the need for a more streamlined “To-Do” list featuring achievable, immediate term priorities. Matt discussed concern about the current manner in which city Ward Boundaries are determined, and presented thoughts about the potential value of basing the wards on total population rather than on registered voters. Motion to adjourn was made by Kristen. The Vice Chair called for a vote, and the motion passed. The meeting was adjourned by the Vice Chair at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted Matt Miller, Secretary