Human Rights Commission

AGENDA Human Rights Commission Meeting 5:15 PM - Monday, February 23, 2026 City Hall Council Chambers Page 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ELECTION OF OFFICERS 2.1. Election of 2026 Officers for position of Secretary. Currently Allie Lee (former member) as Secretary. Tabled from the January 26, 2026 meeting. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3.1. Approve Minutes of the January 26, 2026 meeting. 2-4 2026-01-26 HRC Minutes 4. BUDGET REPORT 4.1. Review Monthly Financial Report. 5-6 Financial Report 2026-02-01 5. EVENTS COMMITTEE (HRC SPONSORED) 5.1. Announce selection of the Human Rights Award. 6. OTHER BUSINESS 7. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 8. CITY COUNCIL LIAISON 8.1. Carl Zeidler (January - March). Need a volunteer for April - June. 9. DATE OF NEXT MEETING 9.1. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, March 23, 2026. 10. ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 6  New Ulm Human Rights Commission Minutes January 26th, 2026, 5:15 pm City Hall Council Chambers Members Present: Kristin Sprenger, Katie Dorschner, Sarah Leslie, Carl Zeidler, Deb Egeland, Mayor Backer. Student representatives Henry Albrecht, Kaden Schaefer. 1. Call to Order: Meeting called to order by Kristin Sprenger. 2. Election of Officers 2.1 A call for nominations for HRC chair was made by Kristin Sprenger. A motion to nominate Kristin Sprenger for chair was made by Sarah Leslie and seconded by Katie Dorschner. Following three calls for nominations, the motion was passed unanimously. A call for nominations for HRC vice-chair was made by Kristin Sprenger. A motion to nominate Katie Dorschner for vice-chair was made by Sarah Leslie and seconded by Deb Egeland. Following three calls for nominations, the motion was passed unanimously. A call for nominations for HRC secretary was made by Kristin Sprenger. A motion to table nominations owing to missing members was made by Carl Zeidler and seconded by Deb Egeland. The motion to table the nomination was passed unanimously. 3. Approval of Minutes: 3.1 Motion to approve 12/22 minutes by Deb Egeland, seconded by Carl Zeidler, passed by all members present. 4. Budget Report: 4.1 The 2025 and 2026 budgets were reviewed. 57% of the 2025 budget was carried over to 2026. The 2026 budget was reviewed. 5. Events Committee: 5.1 A total of five nominations were received for the Human Rights award after extending the deadline. Nominations were read by the Chair Sprenger and will be voted on at the February 23, 2026, meeting. 6. Education Committee: 6.1 City Manager Chris Dalton addressed various concerns raised about equitable access to community services and functions that were raised at the Living Without Limits panel on visual impairment. He suggested that one or two Commission members meet with Park and Rec Director Joey Schugel to address specific recommendations for youth activities with disabilities. The recommendation to incorporate voice menus for city offices was reviewed. The City will review available tech platforms for incorporation into the 2027 budget. The concern Page 2 of 6 over audible signals at intersections was discussed. With respect to assistance for people with disabilities who would like to attend city events, the City can provide the Commission with contact information for the event coordinators to work on this. Chris checked with MNDOT, and the volume is set at the maximum. Zeidler commented that truck idling at intersections is what is drowning out the audibles. The City will continue to monitor technological changes. Regarding public transportation beyond Brown County (e.g., to Mankato), the City can continue to work with partners in other counties for a solution. Currently, the two transport companies in town operate only local routes. Issues with streetscaping downtown and in residential neighborhoods were also raised during the forum. Dalton stated that the city will update the downtown over the next 5-10 years and work toward uniformity to make streets safer and more accessible to people with disabilities. The underground steam heat tunnels provide a challenge for grading ramps at intersections. City engineers will assess accessibility across neighborhoods. Chris stated that concerns related to overhanging trees or inadequate snow removal should be reported on a case-by-case basis to the City engineering office or to the City Manager. The next Living Without Limits panel will be on autism due to the unavailability of one panelist for the developmental disabilities panel. Commission members should send their panelist recommendations to Lisa Pelzel to share with the Education Committee. Sarah Leslie will work on securing a date for this. 7. Other Business 7.1 Mayor Backer shared some learnings from the National League of Cities and a resource from The DignityIndex (dignity.us) on Building Skills for Dignified Disagreement. 8. Legislative Update: Nothing to report. 9. City Council Liaison: 9.1 Carl Zeidler - nothing to report. 10. Date of Next Meeting: 10.1 The next meeting will be 2/23/26 11. Adjournment: 11.1 A motion to suspend adjournment for an addendum to the meeting was made by Katie Dorschner and seconded by Carl Zeider and passed unanimously. New Ulm Police Chief Dave Borchert presented on immigration enforcement activity in the New Ulm Area. Enforcement in the City is not new; however, in the past, NUPD was typically given advance notice by federal agencies. Local and state agencies cannot enforce immigration or interfere with federal operations. Sarah Leslie asked whether NUPD can be called to an immigration operation to verify that the operation is legitimate when agents do not produce a warrant, identify themselves, and wear masks. Chief Borchert stated NUPD can and will respond to calls to their department to assist with verifying. Chief Borchert explained the concept of “sanctuary cities” and that this is a misconception about the state laws pertaining to the amount of time counties are allowed to hold a person in county jail. If a federal agency cannot have the person Page 3 of 6 seen by a judge within 36 hours, the person must be released. Chief Borchert reiterated that NUPD is there to serve all residents, regardless of citizenship status. Motion to adjourn meeting by Carl Zeidler, seconded by Deb Egeland, and passed by all members present. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Leslie Page 4 of 6  NewUlm MN AccountDetail DateRange 02 01 2026 02 28 2026 AccountNameEncumbrancesFiscal BudgetBeginningBalanceTotalActivityEndingBalanceBudgetRemaining Remaining 101 GENERALFUND Expense 101 1000 355115Human RightsCommission0 009 000 000 00 0 000 009 000 00100 00 ExpenseTotals 0 009 000 000 00 0 000 009 000 00100 00 101 GENERALFUNDTotals 0 009 000 000 00 0 000 009 000 00100 00 Report Total 0 009 000 000 00 0 000 009 000 00100 00 Page 5 of 6 2182026115059AMPage1of2 DetailvsBudgetReportDateRange 02 01 2026 02 28 2026 FundSummary FundEncumbrancesFiscalBudgetBeginningBalanceTotalActivityEndingBalanceBudgetRemaining Remaining 101 GENERAL 0 009 000 000 00 FUND0000 009 000 00100 00 Report Total 0 009 000 000 00 0 000 009 000 00100 00 Page 6 of 6 2182026115059AMPage2of2