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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/08/1987 Meeting M I NUT E S e Eugene City Council Dinner/Work Session BJ's Restaurant--44 E. 7th Avenue December 8, 1987 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Robert Bennett, Jeff Miller, Emily Schue, Cynthia Wooten. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Debra Ehrman, Roger Rutan. The work session of December 7,1987, of the Eugene City Council was called to order at 5:52 p.m. by His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie. 1. HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT A. Staff Presentation Intergovernmental Relations Di rector Jody Mi 11 er i nt roduced Ben Taite 1 , president of the Commission on the Rights of Aging Citizens; Nancy Brawner- Jones, president of the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Angela Collas-Dean, president of the Commission on the Rights of Minorities; Eleanor Payne, vice president of the Commission on the Rights of Women; and e Cheryl Zwillinger, president of the Commission on the Rights of Youth. She also introduced Glen Potter, Linda Lynch, Vicki Stewart, and Tammy Jo Rhodes of the Intergovernmental Relations Division. Ms. Miller added that the vacant position of Human Rights Specialist was expected to be posted soon and filled by February. Ms. Miller reported on discussion to date of a possible review of the City's human rights programs. She said staff had suggested a program evaluation in order to address the issues of too many activities and not enough resources; to strengthen the relationship to the City's agenda; to reduce possible duplication in the community; and to improve the job design of the Human Rights Specialist, who previously had staffed six commissions in addition to other dut i es. Ms. Miller said the program evaluation had not been embraced by the Human Rights Presidents Counci 1 or the commissions, and in October three City councilors had met for discussion with the Presidents Council. She said local organizations and individuals also had addressed the topic at an October town hall meeting, which had been well-attended. Ms. Miller said suggestions made during discussions had included a possible review by the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) of the Aging and Youth Commissions and perhaps combining the City's Aging Commission with the Lane Council of Governments (L-COG) Area Agency on Aging. She said staff had done e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 1 no further work on the issue and was awaiting direction from the council and the commissions. e Mr. Taitel said he thought the suggested evaluation process seemed acceptable, but other presidents had mixed opinions. He noted that an outline suggested by two commission members had been sent to all commissions for response, and a review had been approved unanimously by the Aging and Women's Commissions, but other commissions favored designing their own evaluation or making a recommendation later. B. Commission on the Rights of Aging Citizens Mr. Taitel reported on the activities of the Commission on the Rights of Aging Citizens. He said the commission continued to work on public interest forums and on issues such as the Lane County Ombudsman Program, long-term ca re insurance, special transportation needs, condominium and mobile-home housing concerns, and elder abuse. Mr. Taitel said the commission was planning a video series to increase community awareness of the commission's role and had mailed a survey to a sampling of elderly residents in an attempt to identify needs for its future direction. Other plans included attempting to define elder abuse, studying long-term health care and legislation, and helping to promote Eugene as a retirement center. Mr. Taitel passed around a folder with examples of the commission's activities and said additional copi es were available. He said the commission had been working, was working, and to the best of its ability would continue to work for the aging constituency of the city. C. Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities e Ms. Brawner-Jones reported on the activities of the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She said last year's activities had addressed three ma in areas: accessibility and safety, employment, and community education and relations. She said the commission had responded to accessibility complaints concerning the following buildings: Eugene Pub 1 i c Library, Mahlon Sweet Airport, the Hult Center, University Campus entryway at 13th Avenue and Kincaid, University Library, Looking Glass, 5th Street Public Market, Sacred Heart Hospital parking structure, Kaufman's, Original Joe's, Schaeffer Building, Eugene polling places, Harris Hall, Oregon Dome, and Whitebird Clinic. Ms. Brawner-Jones said concerns had been resolved at many of the buildings, but issues remained at others. She said pedestrian safety had been addressed through work with the Bicycle Committee and through attempts to address the hazards of West University WOONERFS, sandwich boards and signs, and drainage grates. She said the commission also had worked with public transportation staff about constituent concerns and had made recommendations regarding training of Lane Transit District drivers. Ms. Brawner-Jones said the commission had addressed parking for persons with disabilities through enforcement and public education. She said community education efforts had included publication and distribution of an access gui debook and a bookmark, which she passed around. She added that the guidebook was the subject of high demand, and a reprint was possible and that the University of Oregon bookstore had requested use of the bookmarks. Ms. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 2 Brawner-Jones said the commission also had provided information for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and for Disability Awareness Day. e Ms. Brawner-Jones said the commission had cooperated with other groups in distribution of Community Development Block Grant funds and had attempted to expand awareness of other human rights commissions by having representatives at other commission meetings. Ms. Brawner-Jones said the commission had addressed employment by continuing representation at the Southern Willamette Private Industy Council (SWPIC) and the Affirmative Action Committee. She noted that the eight-person commission in August had reported 160.5 hours of volunteer activity. Ms. Brawner-Jones said additional buildings to come to the attention of the commission included Eugene Emergency Housing, Amazon Park, and Wilcox Building. She said the commi ssion continued to work with City staff to resolve a lack of access at the downtown mall playground on Broadway and to resolve the hazards presented by traffic control boxes. Studies also were being done of how other communities had dealt with the threats posed by skateboards and bicycles on sidewalks, she said. Ms. Brawner-Jones said the commission was continuing its community relations efforts in attempts to print and upgrade an access guidebook on an annual basis, in networking with other commissions, and in attempts to coordinate groups concerned with diverse disabilities. She said the commission had begun to lay the groundwork for presenting Eugene as a showcase for accessibility and planned to co-sponsor a forum with the Aging Commission on accessibility in housing. e Ms. Brawner-Jones said employment efforts would continue through work with SWPIC, employer workshops, the Youth Commission's Job Faire, and the Affirmative Action Committee's Disability Awareness Workshop. She said the commission also planned to work on establishing goals for employment of persons with disabilities by the City, and in January it would begin honoring employers in Eugene who had made outstanding efforts to employ persons with disabilities. Ms. Brawner-Jones said the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities wanted to see the form of a program evaluation before it made a decision about that. She added that the group would consider the review outline submitted. D. Commission on the Rights of Minorities Ms. Callas-Dean said the Commission on the Rights of Minorities last year had assisted the City's Business Assistance Team with a directory of minority businesses, adding about 50 new entries. She reported that commission members had testified at public hearings in support of an Oregon school holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and in support of a Racism Free Ordinance for Lane County. She said the commission had formed a task force to develop links with other agencies and groups and had participated in events with the Rainbow Coalition, the NAACP, and the Asian Celebration. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 3 Ms. Collas-Dean reported that the commission had obtained a retraction for a local newspaper article maligning a school organization of minority students e as a "street gang," along with an apology from City police for providing inaccurate information. She noted that the commission had produced a brochure written in both English and Spanish, in anticipation of the new immigration amnesty law that could bring an influx of Hispanics. She passed around copies of the brochure and said copies had been distributed to local churches and hospitals. Ms. Collas-Dean said the commission during the past year had testified before the Community Development Committee at a public hearing on minority loan programs, it had attended the "Undoing Racism" workshop sponsored by City police and a 4J School District task force, it had provided a speaker for a Martin Luther Ki ng, Jr. time capsule event, and it had encouraged the formation of a non-profit monitoring group on behalf of parents and children of minorities, Eugene Monitoring and Advisory Committee (EMAC). Ms. Callas-Dean said that in the three months since the publication of the bilingual brochure, the commission had responded to seven discrimination- related complaints. The commission had conducted interviews, investigated, written letters, and made referrals as needed. The commission also had conducted a drive to encourage minorities to apply for all human servi ce agency employment openings, she said. Ms. Collas-Dean said the Commission on the Rights of Minorities had provided the impetus to establish the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration as a destination point activity for Eugene. She thanked the City Council for its support for the proposed dance troupe from the Philippines. Ms. Collas-Dean e explained that she had felt the dance troupe was appropriate for the festival because of common principles of non-violence, but she had not anticipated the negative community reaction that had caused the booking to be canceled. She noted that the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration now was being organized by City staff in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services (PARCS), which she thought had pleased the entire community. Ms. Collas-Dean said she thought the most important issue to emerge from the discussion, for the commission, was the need for cross-cultural communications among all minority groups in the community, so that all could be proud of the rich heritages they brought to the community. E. Commission on the Rights of Women Ms. Payne reported on the activities of the Commission on the Rights of Women. She noted that the group had participated in a "Women on the Move" Conference, distributing information about City boards and commissions. She said the legislative group within the commission had joined forces with the Women's Rights Coalition, the Children's Services lobby, and the Oregon Pay Equi ty Coalition. She said the commission had written letters and testified on State legislation with regard to gay rights and pay equity, and it had produced a pamphlet about the rights of women and services available to them in the community. Ms. Payne passed around the pamphlet, adding that the commission also had developed a mailing list of interested parties. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 4 Ms. Payne said the commission had participated in planning and programming for the recent town ha 11 meeting to discuss the future of the human rights e programs in Eugene. She said the commission was working with local hospitals on future town hall meetings to discuss Women and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Ms. Payne reported that commission member Nancy Dunn had written an article on the District Attorney's victim assistance program, and that article would be published in the next issue of the Public Safety Community Newsletter and in What's Happening. She also said the commission had co-sponsored a Veterans Day event titled "Women and Wa r. II Ms. Payne said emerging issues for the commission included strong support for provisions in the Eugene downtown area for child care during the work day. She said the commission believed such child care provisions would help remove restrictions on where and whether female employees can work, as well as making downtown a more attractive location for businesses. She said the commission was working with the Joint Social Services system to ensure current or better availability of services to women. It also planned to co-sponsor the Youth Job Faire in spring and to participate in this year's "Women on the Movell conference, she added. F. Commission on the Rights of Youth Ms. Zwi11inger reported on the activities of the Commission on the Rights of Youth. She distributed copies of a "Youth and the Legislature" handbook that the commission had produced for high school students. She said the commission had been represented on the Crime Action Task Force (CATF) and had worked with e the Eugene police on the Cops in the Schools program. Ms. Zwillinger said last year's Youth Job Faire had been canceled because of a teacher's strike, but the event this year was planned for April 26 at Sheldon High School. Ms. Zwillinger said a youth advisory council made up of students had produced a citywide newsletter and a video about current events affecting local youth. The commission also had been involved in legislative issues, she added. Ms. Zwillinger said a commission subcommittee was working on feedback to the Cops in the Schools program, and a police representative regularly attended commission meetings. She said a subcommittee also was working on creating positive recreation activities for youth as a response to substance abuse and recommendations from the CATF. She said the group was working with the Public Safety Advisory Committee, and it had produced two editions of a "Youth and the Law" handbook. Ms. Zwillinger said the commission was redesigning its youth advisory council and would be recruiting for that in January and February. She sa i d the commission also supported the anti-racism activities of the Commission on the Rights of Minorities and planned to offer testimony and recommendations with regard to a proposed anti-cruising ordinance and downtown mall issues. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 5 G. Human Rights Presidents Council e Mr. Taitel reported on the activities of the Human Rights Presidents Council. He noted that a workplan was included on page 27 of the annual report, and he said the Presidents Council also solicited and reviewed quarterly reports from each commission. Mr. Taite 1 said copies of revised bylaws had been distributed. He added that the Presidents Council remained interested in linking social services and in streamlining commission activities. H. Council Discussion/Questions Ms. Wooten asked about current minority population statistics. Ms. Collas- Dean said she did not have specific figures, but general appearances indicated that the population of minorities and the number of minority businesses had increased considerably since the 1980 census, which reported a mi nori ty population of 5.9 percent. Ms. Wooten asked whether statistics were available regarding per capita income, employment, and economic health of minorities. Ms. Callas-Dean said she was not aware of those statistics. She added that better cross-cultural links were needed to help with gathering that type of information. Ms. Schue asked about the reasons for commissioners' concern about the program review process. Mr. Taitel said he thought concerns represented unease that the process was the beginning of dissolving the commissions. Ms. Brawner- Jones said she did not think commissioners were fearful of the results of an evaluation, but of how the process would occur. She said one commission had been told that the staff position would not be filled until an evaluation was done, and the commissions wanted to be involved in their own evaluation e processes. Ms. Zwillinger said the Commission on the Rights of Youth had wanted more information about the t;meline for the evaluation process and had made suggestions for areas not covered by the outline. She said the commission had favored coordinating presentations for the Budget Committee about needs in the area of human rights. She added that the commission also was concerned about the work load presented by the evaluation process. Mr. Holmer asked how the commissions would respond to an instance of discrimination against other forms of human rights, such as freedom of religion. Mr. Taitel said such an issue probably would be referred to the Presidents Council. Mr. Taitel urged the Ci ty Council to refer human rights issues to the commissions. Mr. Mi 11 er noted that the counci 1 and other City groups had referred issues to the commissions. He said an emerging issue was the impact of budget cuts on program viability and determining minimum levels of funding to avoid diminished returns. He sa i d an evaluation might help in tha t determination by identifying work needs that were being met by the commissions and potential impacts of budget decisions. Mr. Taitel said the commissions' funding had been reduced, but not their activities. He said staff assistance was the only unmet need. Ms. Brawner- e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 6 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 - - those problems and needs. He noted that $3.5 million ;s being spent annually on youth justice programs, and he suggested that the council consider the e particular social needs of the youth and aging populations. Mayor Obi e suggested that the Aging Commission develop connections with other social services and said linking existing resources ;s needed. He also suggested that Ms. Schue, Ms. Bascom, and Mr. Holmer explore the issues of aging and that Ms. Wooten, Mr. Bennett, and Mr. Miller discuss youth issues. The Mayor said all current programs would remain in place until those discussions had occurred. He asked whether the City could do more with less resources, adding that additional resources for human rights appeared unlikely. Mr. Holmer asked whether the pamphlets had been developed by the commissions rather than by staff. He said that was an important element in budgeting, and he thought the commissions should consider expanding citizen participation in particular projects. Mr. Miller said the Intergovernmental Relations Division used more resources than were budgeted for the commissions. He said pressures existed to examine City resources for youth and aging programs, and he was willing to take funds from other areas, but the actual costs needed to be known. Ms. Miller said she thought the department required about two FTEs for human rights programs. Ms. Brawner-Jones said the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was interested in promoting Eugene as a center for retirement and accessibility, and it wanted attitudinal support from a staff position. She suggested examining grants as a source of staffing funds. She added that she thought Eugene was unique and should be proud of its commissions, which were not service agencies. e Ms. Schue suggested considering the best way to design programs, and then addressing funding. She suggested asking whether coordination with other programs was possible before addressing funding. Mayor Obie agreed. Mayor Obie reported receiving a letter from an ll-year-old girl who expressed concern about mall safety and about the image presented by drug paraphernalia shops. He suggested asking youth about the type of community they wanted. Mr. Taitel thanked the council for the opportunity to meet with the council. Mayor Obie thanked the commissions for their work and adjourned the meeting at 7: 18 p. m. Re~l~ ??>~ -- Micheal D. Gleason, City Manager (Recorded by Leslie Scales) mncc1208 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session December 8, 1987 Page 8