Human Relation Commission Meeting
Regular MeetingUrbana, IL · February 10, 2021
Minutes
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING APPROVED
_____________________________________________________________________________________
HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
DATE: Wednesday, February 10, 2021
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
PLACE: Urbana City Council Chambers
Urbana City Building
400 South Vine Street
Urbana, Illinois 61801
*Virtually Via Zoom
_____________________________________________________________________________________
MEMBERS PRESENT: Stacie Burnett, Florence Caplow, Megan McKissack, Peter Resnick, Frances
Rigberg, JulieRobinson Schaeffer.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Carol Bradford, Daniel Larson,
1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM
Chair Frances Rigberg called this meeting of the Urbana Human Relations Commission to order at
5:30 p.m. Roll was taken. A quorum was present.
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Chair Frances Rigberg called for a motion to approve the agenda. Megan McKissack moved to
approve the agenda. Rev. Florence Caplow seconded the motion. The motion was approved with a
roll call vote.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a. January 13, 2021
Peter Resnick made a motion to approve the minutes from the January 13, 2021 meeting.
Stacie Burnett seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a roll call vote.
4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
a. Christopher Hansen shared his frustration with Board members not responding to his
emails. He requested more communication in the future.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Proposed Changes to HRC Ordinance
Peter Resnick and Carol Mitten discussed briefly with City Council Monday. They will bring
a more detailed presentation to council next week.
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Review of HRC By-Laws
Chair Frances Rigberg discussed updating the HRC bylaws. She asked HRC members to send
suggestions for updates to discuss at the next meeting.
b. EEO Workforce Statistics
There were no workforce statistics to review.
c. Staff Report
Elizabeth Hannan mentioned the Board members would be asked to complete statements of
economic interest soon and explained why HRC members were included.
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Megan McKissack and Julie Robinson Schaeffer were introduced as new board members.
8. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Commission, Frances Rigberg declared
the meeting to be adjourned at 6:02 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tamra Jane Corbin
Recording Secretary
2
Agenda
URBANA HUMAN RELATIONS
COMMISSION
DATE: Wednesday, February 10, 2021
TIME: 5:30 pm
PLACE: *to be held virtually via Zoom, 400 S. Vine St., Urbana, IL 61801
AGENDA
1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a. January 13, 2021
4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Update on Proposed Changes to HRC Ordinance
6. NEW BUSINESS
a. Review of HRC By-Laws
b. EEO Workforce Statistics
c. Staff Report – Elizabeth Hannan
8. ANNOUNCEMENTS
9. ADJOURNMENT
*Due to the Governor and Mayoral Emergency Orders, the Urbana City Council Chambers will be not be
open to the public during this meeting. For those wishing to provide public input, please follow the
instructions below on how to provide public input. Anyone can watch the meeting on streaming services,
UPTV, or attend virtually via Zoom webinar. Additional instructions are attached.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Feb 10, 2021 05:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Human Relations Commission
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84421047164
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13126266799,,84421047164# or +13017158592,,84421047164#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900
6833 or +1 253 215 8782
Webinar ID: 844 2104 7164
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kwQPK7pj
Persons with disabilities needing special services or accommodations for this meeting should contact the City
of Urbana's Americans with Disabilities Coordinator at 384-2466.
Public Input and Viewing for Urbana City Council, Committee of the Whole, and some Boards and
Commissions
Anyone can watch the meeting on streaming services or UPTV. You can attend virtually via Zoom if you
wish to provide public input during the meeting. If you attend the meeting via Zoom, please turn off any
sound from other sources such as UPTV, as there will be a lag in the audio. The meeting will be recorded by
the City as part of the record. The recorded video will be available on the City’s website. The Zoom webinar
information is listed on the agenda.
PUBLIC INPUT GUIDELINES
The City of Urbana welcomes Public Input during open meetings of the City Council, the City Council’s
Committee of the Whole, City Boards and Commissions and other City-sponsored meetings. Our goal is to
foster respect for the meeting process, and respect for all people participating as members of the public body,
city staff, and general public. The City is required to conduct all business during public meetings. The
presiding officer is responsible for conducting those meetings in an orderly and efficient manner.
Public Input will be taken in the following ways:
Zoom Webinar Participant
Click on the link listed in the agenda to join the Webinar. You must provide your name and email address in
order to join the Webinar. If you wish to speak during Public Input, “raise your hand” and wait to be called
on by the meeting host. You must state your first and last name for the meeting record. Participants will be
muted except when they are called on to speak; video will remain off for all members of the public when
speaking.
Telephone Participant
Call the phone number listed on the Agenda. Enter the Webinar ID followed by the # key. All callers are
muted by default. If you wish to speak, “raise your hand” by pressing *9 once. When you are called on by the
host or presiding officer you will be un-muted. You must state your first name and last name for the meeting
record.
Email Input
You may email public input between 8 am and 4 pm on the day of the meeting to HRO@urbanaillinois.us.
Please put “PUBLIC INPUT” and the meeting date in the subject line.
Written Input
Any member of the public may submit their comments addressed to the members of the public body in
writing. If a person wishes their written comments to be included in the record of Public Input for the
meeting, the writing should so state. Written comments must be received prior to the closing of the meeting
record (at the time of adjournment unless otherwise noted).
Verbal Input
Protocol for Public Input is one of respect for the process, and respect for others. Ridicule, obscene or
profane language, lack of respect for others, and personal attacks are not acceptable behavior. Public Input
shall not be used to air personal grievances. Speakers should address all comments to the public body as a
whole and not to individual members or City staff.
Public comment shall be limited to no more than four (4) minutes per person. The Public Input portion of
the meeting shall total no more than one (1) hour, unless otherwise shortened or extended by majority vote of
the public body members present. The presiding officer or the city clerk or their designee, shall monitor each
speaker's use of time and shall notify the speaker when the allotted time has expired. All public comments
should be addressed to the public body as a whole. A person may participate and provide Public Input once
during a meeting and may not cede time to another person, or split their time if Public Input is held at two (2)
Persons with disabilities needing special services or accommodations for this meeting should contact the City of
Urbana's Americans with Disabilities Coordinator at 384-2466.
or more different times during a meeting. The presiding officer may give priority to those persons who
indicate they wish to speak on an agenda item upon which a vote will be taken.
The presiding officer or public body members shall not enter into a dialogue with citizens. Questions from
the public body members shall be for clarification purposes only. Public Input shall not be used as a time for
problem solving or reacting to comments made but, rather, for hearing citizens for informational purposes
only.
Accommodation
If an accommodation is needed to participate in a City meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at least 48 hours in advance so that special arrangements can be made using one of the following
methods:
• Phone: 217.384.2366
• Email: CityClerk@urbanaillinois.us
*In order to maintain reasonable decorum at a meeting, the presiding officer or any member of the public
body may call a speaker “out of order”. The presiding officer of the meeting shall have the authority to
provide a verbal warning to a speaker who uses abusive, harassing, threatening, or defamatory language, or
who engages in disorderly conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of a
meeting. If the speaker refuses to cease such remarks or conduct after being warned by the presiding officer,
the presiding officer shall have the authority to mute the speaker’s microphone and/or video presence at the
meeting. The presiding officer will inform the speaker that they may send the remainder of their remarks via
email to the public body for inclusion in the meeting record.
*Definitions of Types of Language and Conduct That May Warrant Verbal Warning:
“Abusive” means harsh, violent, profane, or derogatory language which would demean the dignity
of an individual or which is intended to humiliate, mock, insult or belittle an individual.
https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/abusive-language
“Harassing” means to annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way; to make repeated
attacks on another person.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/harass
“Threatening” means to say that you will harm someone or do something unpleasant or unwanted
especially in order to make someone do what you want.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/threaten
“Defamatory” means a statement or communication that tends to harm a person's reputation by
subjecting the person to public contempt, disgrace, or ridicule, or by adversely affecting the person's
business. A statement that is likely to lower that person in the estimation of reasonable people and in
particular to cause that person to be regarded with feelings of hatred, contempt, ridicule, fear, or
dislike.
Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019)
Citations that Authorize the Presiding Officer to Bar Offensive Language During Public Comment:
The following citations provide the legal basis for adopting UCC Section 2-5(b)(1)(d) that allows the
presiding officer of a City Council, Committee of the Whole, or a City-sponsored board or
commission regulate “abusive, harassing, threatening, or defamatory language” during public
comment. The following Attorney General binding opinions and case law essentially classify abusive,
“harassing, threatening and defamatory language as “manner”, not “content”, of speech that can be
reasonably regulated under the First Amendment. UCC Section 2-5(c) (Ordinance No. 2020-09-049.
Attorney General binding opinion numbers 2019 PAC 59187, 2018 PAC 55462, 2016 PAC 45349;
Milestone v. City of Monroe, Wisconsin, 665 F.3d 774, 783-784 (7th Cir. 2011); Vega v. Chicago Board of
Education, 338 F.Supp.3d 806, 811 (N.D. Ill. 2018); Sandefur v. Vill. of Hanover Park, 862 F.Supp.2d
840, 847 (N.D. Ill. 2012); I.A. Rana Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Aurora, 630 F.Supp.2d 912, 920-923 (D.C.
N.D. 2009).
Persons with disabilities needing special services or accommodations for this meeting should contact the City of
Urbana's Americans with Disabilities Coordinator at 384-2466.
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