12/08/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Jones said she agreed, adding that commissions had operated for the past six months without the staff support of a human rights specialist. Mr. Taitel e complimented the job done by available staff but said its potential was 1 imited. Ms. Collas-Dean said the commissions now were more visible, which was resulting in more demands on each commission. Ms. Schue said she thought citizens were more likely to call their City Councilors about issues other than human rights, and the City Council perhaps was not an obvious method for addressing human rights issues. Mr. Taite 1 said the Commission on the Rights of Aging Citizens for several years had received no referrals except the condominium conversion ordinance. He said he would like to see referrals handled through the Presidents Council, so that group was informed about the number and area of referrals. Ms. Brawner-Jones said one commission had asked that calls to the Intergovernmental Relations Division be documented, but staff had responded that it would be impossible. Ms. Wooten said she was concerned about the commissions maintaining links with the constituents they served. She asked about the type of policies or methods needed to deal with issues such as intervention on behalf of aging citizens. Mr. Taitel said the commissions did try to establish contact with constituents through services 1 i ke the ombudsman program and the survey of elderly residents, which he noted was the first formal attempt to identify the needs of aging citizens. Ms. Brawner-Jones said she thought some commissions had been discouraged from e certain activities in order to avoid conflicts with other parts of the City. She said each commission was allotted about $1,400, which she said did not allow for adequate surveys. She sa i d the commissions were making good efforts, however, with the available funds. Ms. Collas-Dean said the Commission on the Rights of Minorities was responsible for investigating and mediating complaints of harassment or discrimination, but it was not sure how far its authority and advocacy legally extended. Ms. Bascom said she was impressed with the abilities and impact of the commissions, and she found the annual report to be a useful reminder of that. She said that un 1 i ke sewers and streets, human rights was an open-ended assignment. She said she expected that the City Council would limit the commissions. funding to current levels, which would require the commissions to spend their limited resources in the best way, a responsibility for which she was appreciative but not envious. Mr. Taite' said he thought the commissions were being treated reasonably and he was not complaining. He added that he favored working more closely with the City Council, and he commended the work of Ms. Miller and other IGR staff. Mayor Obie said minimal resources and staff were being applied to the area of human rights, and he thought the City should consider a different approach to e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 7