Human Rights Commission

City of Morgantown Human Rights Commission (HRC) Minutes for the Regular Meeting on June 22, 2023 Location: Morgantown Public Safety Building, First Floor Training Room, 300 Spruce St. Present: Chair: Annie CRONAN YORICK, Vice Chair: Bonnie BROWN, Secretary: Keenan McClane, Commissioners: Danny TREJO, Cal Carlson Ex Officio Liaisons: Tim Hairston, WVHRC, and Brian Butcher, Morgantown City Council Volunteer: Don Spencer Absent: Commissioner Zoey Vilasuso; one vacancy Call to Order: Called to order by the Chair at 6:40 p.m. Minutes: No Minutes were presented for adoption Updates, Discussions, and Votes:  Vice-Chair Brown read the proposed “Indigenous People’s Day Proclamation” she proposes to submit for entry to the City Council and reading at its October 6, 2023, meeting. She pointed out the importance of renewing the Proclamation annually. ● Secretary McClane reported that he was looking at alternatives to Zoom for having online meetings. Zoom, Chrome, and WebEx all have features that make them unsuitable for our needs. Skype is the best alternative. Brown moved that Keenan open a Skype account; Trejo seconded. The Motion was carried by unanimous vote. McClane stated that he could not access HRC digital records - except for a few poorly arranged files. Cronan Yorick voiced the same concerns and noted that she only had access to a few files on the personal Chrome Drive of the previous Chair; none of the newer commissioners have access to that drive. Carlson voiced that he had no access to any digital records. ● Commissioner Trejo had nothing new to report on HRC business; he has been on the West Coast since the last meeting. ● Commissioner Carlson inquired about the guidelines for submitting the Municipal Equality Index; they are unclear on the website. ● WVHCR Liaison reported that the State HRC met in July but is essentially hobbled due to a lack of commissioners and professional staff. ● The Chair reported that she looked into Robert’s Rules, the City Code, and the HRC Bylaws of 2019 to determine the correct procedure for removing a commissioner who has attended few meetings and made no contribution to the HRC as a commissioner. Robert’s Rules are clear that a member can be expelled for having more than three unexcused absences in a year. She pointed out that absentee members affect whether we have a quorum to hold a meeting where we need to take votes.  Commissioners Carlson and Brown object to this line of discussion because commissioners serve at the will of the City Council. The chair disagreed but discontinued her report on the subject. She suggested that the City should have a Minority Liaison, not only the one for LGBTQ+. Liaison Hairston recommended Anitra Hamilton of the Kingwood-Morgantown NAACP as a possible candidate. The Chair expressed the need to clarify the guidelines for composing the MEI Report that is due in July. She asked the more experienced members to contact people who worked on the report in earlier years. Brown agreed to contact Kristen Cooper, who did the reports for the HRC in the past. Cronan Yorick noted that we missed the Juneteenth commemoration; we must do better next year. She stated that the HRC’s Annual Report is based on the Fiscal Year and asked all members to submit a list of what they did in furtherance of the HRC in the past twelve months. The Chair has been discussing with the City Clerk whether Brian Butcher and Tim Hairston should be listed as “Liaisons” (as designated in the HRC bylaws) or “Representatives” as they are currently called on the HRC webpage; she will follow up on this. She is also working to access the HRC email and voicemail. Priority Business: At the end of the meeting, Secretary McClane stated that he would not renew his commission at the end of the month. He is moving to Maryland but will forward all the missing and current meeting Minutes to the Chair before he leaves town. He will also forward the information on cloud accounts and virtual meeting platforms. The Commission expressed its disappointment at losing him but wished him well. Next Regular Meeting: July 20, 2023. Adjourn: Trejo moved to adjourn the meeting; Carlson seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. [Minutes by Annie Cronan Yorick. Submitted for HRC adoption on February 15, 2024.]