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<br />ECC <br />UGENE ITY OUNCIL <br />AIS <br />GENDA TEM UMMARY <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Work Session: Joint Meeting with the Human Rights Commission <br /> <br /> <br />Meeting Date: March 11, 2009 Agenda Item Number: B <br />Department: Central Services/City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Raquel Wells <br />www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5177 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />ISSUE STATEMENT <br /> <br />This work session is being held to review the Human Rights Commission, its work plan, and the work <br />plans of its standing committees. The commission will provide a brief update on its accomplishments of <br />FY07/08 and will highlight key work items for FY10 and FY11. The commission also plans to identify <br />several emerging issues for discussion at the meeting. The City Council will be asked to review and <br />approve the work plan. <br /> <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />The City Council and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) hold a meeting to review the work of the <br />commission and discuss human rights issues in the community. The last meeting was held on <br />September 11, 2006. At that time, the City Council approved an 18-month work plan. <br /> <br />Over the past 18 months, the Human Rights Commission has gone through several changes. First, <br />during the fall of 2007, the long-time program manager took another position at the University of <br />Oregon. At the manager’s request, the City Manager reviewed the Human Rights program and staff for a <br />six-month period in the beginning of 2008. Also, during this time, several commission members with a <br />long-term history on the commission ended their terms, leaving the new commissioners to complete <br />projects that previous members created. In addition, another major change in staff occurred in the spring <br />of 2008, which left only one full-time staff member, impacting the program’s capacity. However, with <br />the help of a completed assessment and the remaining commissioners, the new commissioners quickly <br />jumped onboard and took ownership of the work laid out for them. This winter over 30 community <br />members and City staff took part in a hiring process and in February 2009, the City Manager’s Office <br />was successful in hiring the new Human Rights Commission Analyst to oversee and support the <br />commission’s work plan and future endeavors. <br /> <br />The commissioners are asking the City Council to consider the approval of a 24-month work plan that <br />will begin July 1, 2009, and carry the commission through fiscal year 2011. <br /> <br /> <br />RELATED CITY POLICIES <br />The Eugene Human Rights Commission (HRC) and four standing committees of the commission were <br />established by Ordinance 19732 in 1990. The ordinance was updated in 2002. <br /> <br /> Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090311\S090301B.doc <br />