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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.22.24 HRC Minutes (Final) 4 10., HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION (ultivating (ommunity Through Social Justice Minutes Tuesday, October 22, 2024 6:00—7:30 p.m. Virtual — Microsoft TEAMS Meeting ID: 269 074 498 688 Passcode: 3R5Uxu Commission Members Present OEI Staff Members Present Jemm Merritt, Chair Paul Slack, Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer Rhian Carreker-Ford, Vice Chair Courtney McLaughlin, Community Engagement & Outreach Coordinator Tonya Jones Anjail Taylor Commission Members Absent Jenn Sykes Josh Ravitch Brooke Capps-Yaroni I. Call to Order a. Commissioner Merritt, Chair called meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. II. Minutes Approval (September 23, 2024) III. County Updates a. One Orange Racialized Histories—Mr. Paul Slack sent an email to all members of the Commission to receive input on the One Orange Racialized Histories initiative. Commissioners are encouraged to review the form and provide their insights. b. Community Listening Sessions- Mrs. Courtney McLaughlin shared that three listening sessions were held in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. She reports that there was good turnout and that the Office received valuable feedback from participants on their experiences accessing government information and resources. She shares that the Offices goal is to improve communications through effective language access planning. c. Reconsideration Training- Mr. Paul Slack reports that he is finalizing the reconsideration training with October 30th being the tentative date. t HUMAN RELA11ONS COMMISSION Cultivating Community Through Social Justice d. Annual Report- Mr. Paul Slack reminds the Commission that annual reports are due to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in January and emphasizes the urgency in its completion. e. Annual Retreat- discussion was held to determine preferences for when the annual retreat should be held. Mr. Paul Slack directed the Commission to create a doodle poll to determine the date and provide the decision to the Office. IV. Executive Committee Report a. Vacancies—Commissioner Merritt, Chair, reports that there are two (2) new vacancies for the Commission. Nominations for the three (3) previous vacancies have been submitted to the BOCC. The Office confirms that Mr. Alexander Fowler, Mr. James Hogan, and Mr. Shane Lucas were the names submitted based upon the scorecards received from the Commissioners. b. In-person Meetings- Commissioner Merritt, Chair, motions to move all future Commission meeting to be held in-person with the option of virtual access. Commissioner Carreker-Ford, Vice Chair, opened for discussion and shared that they believe in-person meetings will allow for members to become more accountable to their participation. Commissioner Taylor confirms that a virtual option will be available. Commissioner Taylor seconded the motion. All present Commissioners voted in favor and motion carried. c. Restructuring of the Policies & Procedures Subcommittee— Commissioner Carreker-Ford, Vice Chair, motions to restructure the Policies and Procedures Subcommittee to become the Nominations and Governance Subcommittee. Commissioner Carreker-Ford explained that the responsibilities that will be adopted under this subcommittee will include: a) the review of current policies and procedures and providing recommendations to the board at-large each quarter; b) the review of applications from parties interested in serving on the Commission and reaching out to those interested individuals when board positions become available; and c) screening potential board members and making recommendations to the board at-large. Commissioner Jones opened discussion and clarified whether the subcommittee would be doing the actual recommendations for the Board to approve. Commissioner Carreker-Ford clarified that they would provide the recommendations to the Commission to approve and conduct the initial outreach to applicants being considered. Commissioner Jones seconded the motion. All present Commissioners voted in favor and motion carried. Mrs. McLaughlin confirmed that the Office will be sending applications t HUMAN RELA11ONS COMMISSION Cultivating Community Through Social Justice directly to the Nominations and Governance Subcommittee when they receive them. d. Funds for Member Nametags- Commissioner Merritt, Chair, motions to allocate three-hundred dollars ($300.00) from the Commission's budget to purchase name tags for the Commission members to wear during public events. Commissioner Jones seconded the motion. All present Commissioners voted in favor and motion carried. e. Pauli Murray Awards- Commissioners Merritt and Carreker-Ford opened discussion about moving the Pauli Murray Award from February to a different time of the year to allow for better community outreach and grant more time to gather nominations. Commission directs the Community Events subcommittee to identify a date to present to the Commission at-large for voting. V. HRC Officer Elections: Jemm Merritt, Chair a. Secretary Nominations- Nominations not held at this time. VI. Sub-Committee Reports a. Policies & Procedures- Commissioner Taylor reported that they do not have updates at this time. b. Outreach & Engagement- Commissioner Carreker-Ford reported that the subcommittee has proposal that they would like to discuss during the annual retreat. c. Community Events- Commissioner Jones reported that they do not have updates at this time. VI I. Other Business/Announcements a. Commissioner Carreker-Ford shared interest in developing a community walk to explore the historical significance of individuals that have lived in Orange County. VIII. Adjourn a. Commissioner Merritt, Chair, adjourned meeting at 6:54 p.m. Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Bonnie B. Davis Agricultural Center in Hillsborough, NC.