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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994 HRRC MinutesEDINA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1994 7:00 PM - MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Dorie Barman Jan Buth John Crist Betsy Flaten David Hallett Shirley Hunt - Alexander Sharon Ming Ming -Fen Ni Tom Oye Members Absent: Nancy Atchison Phyllis Kohler Geoffrey McCray Staff Present: Susan Wohlrabe Chair John Crist thanked David Hallett for his excellent leadership over the past year through some difficult times. David indicated that he believed the Commission was doing what it had to do, and he announced that he would be resigning from the Commission to allow for more time with his family. The Commission welcomed Ming -Fen Ni to her first meeting. Election of Officers. The motion of David Hallett to approve the nominations of Tom Oye for Vice Chair and Jan Buth for Second Vice Chair was seconded by Betsy Flaten; the motion carried. No -Fault Grievance. Tom Oye indicated that he had contacted an enforcement officer for the State Human Rights Department. Apparently, the present administration has not made any plans for training and probably will not have a training program. He suggested that people who need training go to a conflict resolution center, and this center should be a certified agency. The League of Human Rights Commissions was drafting a program of training for mediation, but at this time it has not happened. As far as the State is concerned, there is no development in the mediation process. Tom will find out where training agencies are and whether or not they are certified. Chemical Health Advisory Committee. Betsy Flaten reported that the CHAC on February 17th would be considering for approval the "Public Policy Principles for the Community Prevention Coalition." As a result of the Committee reviewing and voting on these statements as a part of the 100 Community Prevention Coalition member organizations, the CPC will be able to take collective action as a large coalition of agencies concerned about chemical use prevention policies. The principles will be used to guide the policy - related activities of the Coalition and to support policy initiatives in local communities. The purpose of the Coalition if to reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug problems in Hennepin County. South Hennepin Regional Planning Agency. SHeRPA recently received a planning grant of $90,000 for a family services collaborative. The goal of the planning process is to determine what families' needs are and where the gaps in services exist, and this information in turn will be used to determine the immediate priorities of the family services collaborative. An Ad Hoc Committee has been formed in order to create a Planning Steering Committee who will be responsible for guiding the year -long planning process. Also, a consultant will be hired with the responsibility of facilitating the planning process and conducting the research. Board Orientation. Betsy Flaten suggested that the Commission consider an orientation with diversity training for new members, including the officers and staff liaison. This could be held on a Saturday morning, possibly at the end of April. Action Plans. Nancy Atchison submitted a report on Objective 2. Objective 2 states that "the Edina community will show discernible progress in the reduction of un -met human needs." In regard to the Commission participating with the City Council in a study group, April 9th has been scheduled for this purpose. Betsy Flaten offered to meet with Jeanne Massey to work on this objective. Re- wording of the objective could be: "The Edina Human Relations Commission will seek and digest information to help it in its decision - making process for recommendations regarding human needs. John Crist reported on Objective 3, which states that "all programs we recommend to receive funding are effective in achieving basic human rights and meeting basic human needs, and the proportion of funding allocated to each program is roughly proportional to the amount of need the Commission feels exists in that service area." Betsy Flaten's motion that we send the request for funding proposals to the currently funded providers and to other providers identified in the provider study was seconded by Jan Buth; the motion carried. It was recommended that Jeanne Massey offer advice as to who else to include. It was also recommended that the Commission advertise next year. Tom Oye suggested that accountability needs to be addressed and that Commissioners must continue to connect with the providers. John Crist will revise Objective 3 for the next meeting. Betsy Flaten reported on Objective 1, which states that "the Edina community will show discernible progress in reducing violence, discrimination, racism, prejudice and bigotry,." and Objective 5, which states that "100% of Edina residents are aware that there are real human rights issues and un -met human service needs in Edina." David Hallett's motion that the action plans for Objectives 1 and 5 as written be approved pending task assignments was seconded by Sharon Ming; the motion carried. Tom will include Objective 6 with these minutes in the next mailing. March Meeting. The next meeting of the Commission will be Tuesday, March 15th. At that time, Mary Ellen Barrett will report on Storefront/Youth Action, and Joyce Repya from the Planning Department will ask the Commission for input regarding the CDBG staff proposal. Joyce will particularly deal with the Commission's concerns about funding for daycare. Another issue for the March Meeting is the Volunteer Recognition Reception on April 20th. NOTE: Saturday, April 9th, 8:00 AM at Centennial Lakes Centrum Building, the City Council will meet with the Human Relations Commission and the Health Advisory Committee regarding the demographic report from SHeRPA. Adjournment. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM. Respectfully submitted, John Crist, Chair Edina Human Relations Commission EDINA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1994 7:00 PM - MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Members Absent: Staff Present: Nancy Atchison Jan Buth Joyce Repya Dorie Barman Geoffrey McCray Susan Wohlrabe John Crist Shirley Hunt - Alexander Betsy Flaten Sharon Ming Guests Present: John Gordon Mary Ellen Barrett Phyllis Kohler Grace Norris Ming -Fen Ni Tom Oye Storefront/Youth Action. Mary Ellen Barrett, Director of Storefront/Youth Action, was introduced and welcomed. She explained to the Commission that Edina's money funded to them for the Youth Counseling Program was used for people who come into the office for therapy. She suggested that collaborative funding efforts could perhaps afford a more productive way of providing services and is proposing different things to do within the family counseling component. For example, one suggestion is a new program regarding cultural competency and diversity, pertaining mostly to African - Americans and Asians. In this regard, a video and curriculum would be developed for taking into the schools to train the faculty, to advocate with the parents and to work with self esteem. A State grant for this program has been given to SFYA for Richfield, Bloomington and St. Louis Park, and there is nothing available in Edina at this time. Therefore, Mary Ellen suggested that Edina's funds be used to support this program in the schools. A team of four would make up the staff, and this would tie in with the School District's program. Another creative suggestion is to provide family counseling in the schools, with counselors being there rather than in the office. Finally, training and awareness - building are needed in the schools to deal with violence and sexual harassment, and teacher - student training is a concept to consider. Mary Ellen asked the Commission to reconsider the spending of Edina's funds in regard to the suggestions made and to look at it as a collaborative effort with the School District. She recommended that she return with a new funding proposal representing a collaboration with the schools in order to bring in the aforementioned components while including the family component. Phyllis Kohler, Jan Buth, Sandy Eliason and Mary Ellen will convene a meeting to prepare a proposal for submission at the Commission April meeting. Proposed 1994 Community Development Block Grant Budget (CDBG). Joyce Repya, Associate Planner, was welcomed. She reported to the Commission that HUD informed has informed Hennepin County that the Urban Hennepin County CDBG entitlement grant for 1994 is $3,688,000, which represents a 10% increase from last year's funding level. She explained that the distribution formula for each city is based upon population, the number of individuals with incomes at or below poverty level and the number of overcrowded housing units. The 1990 Census provides the pertinent data. As a result, the City of Edina's 1994 entitlement has been set at $197,821, which is a 10% increase over last year. Of importance to the Commission is the fact that the funding of public services within CDBG is limited once again to no more than 20% of this entitlement or $39,564. The following represents the budget which staff is recommending for the public service portion of Edina's CDBG funds: C.A.S.H. (Community Action for Suburban Hennepin) - $2,000; GMDCA (Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association - $13,000; and H.O.M.E. (Housing and Outdoor Maintenance for the Elderly) - $24,564. This total of $39,564 is $5,916 less than requested but still provides each agency an increase over 1993. Grace Norris, Community Outreach Coordinator for GMDCA, was introduced. She was asked by the Commissioners why there was always a balance left from Edina's funds while people remained on a waiting list. She explained that it takes a long while to get a new family in the program, because the City's funds are tied up with families already in the program until they can be moved on to a larger funding source. A family is eligible for funding if two earn $21,948. The Agency is trying to get people off welfare and trying to help the working poor; a particular party has to show that they are in training for a job or currently working. The City's funds can be used during an 18 -month period. Grace indicated that she would send the Commissioners data about Edina families. Joyce Repya remarked that she would ask the County if more time could be allowed for this process of funding consideration for next year. The motion of Nancy Atchison that staff amend the public service funding portion of CDBG to reflect no increase for the H.O.M.E. Program over 1993 ($24,074) and that the additional $490 proposed for H.O.M.E. be redirected toward GMDCA ($13,490) was seconded by Betsy Flaten; the motion carried. Minutes Approved. The motion of Tom Oye to approve the minutes of February 15, 1994, was seconded by Dorie Barman; the motion carried. Chair's Report. John Crist introduced John Gordon, and he was welcomed as a new Commissioner. It was reported that Geoffrey McCray would be submitting his letter of resignation. The City Council's annual Dinner Meeting for advisory boards and commissions will be on April 6, and John as Chair will be reporting on the Commission's Action Plans. Agendas at future Commission meetings will include time frames for reporting. Action Plans. Betsy Flaten will develop a calendar of activities with regard to the action plans. OBJECTIVE 2 - Betsy Flaten met with Jeanne Massey to develop this objective, which states that the Edina Community will show discernible progress in the reduction of un -met human needs. Commissioners agreed that the strategies within this objective need to be measured to determine progress and success. The motion of Tom Oye to approve Objective 2 as submitted was seconded by Nancy Atchison; the motion carried. OBJECTIVE 3 - Betsy Flaten will work to re- format this objective, changing "may" from Task 1 to: "Members will be assigned to meet with agencies to develop a relationship with them." Perhaps Tasks 1 and 8 can be combined. OBJECTIVE 6 - Tom Oye presented a newly formatted objective, and it was suggested that the following be included in the action plans: "West Suburban Mediation will be contacted for training, and the Commission will make sure that their people are certified to be trainers." The motion of Betsy Flaten to approve Objective 6 as amended was seconded by Nancy Atchison; the motion carried. Regional Citizens Advisory Commission for SHeRPA. It was announced that Nancy Atchison is the new Chair of SHeRPA's Commission, which includes members from the four cities. Nancy reported that at the present time a steering committee is being formed regarding the Family Services Collaborative Grant from the State. Old Business. In regard to Objective 5, Strategy 1, Commissioners will meet with Ralph Campbell to develop a rough draft of a Human Relations Commission Brochure for the April meeting. New Business. In regard to Objective 1, Strategy 3, there will be a meeting with the School District's SAFE Committee on March 17th at 3:30 PM; Dorie Barman will try to attend. There will be a workshop on April 14th in Golden Valley entitled "Mobilizing the Community to Counter and Prevent Hate Crimes Through Creation of a Statewide Network." Dorie Barman, Nancy Atchison, Betsy Flaten, John Gordon and Tom Oye plan to attend. At the Volunteer Recognition Reception on April 20th, the Commission will honor David Hallett and Larry Fuglesten. Adjournment. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM. Respectfully submitted, John Crist, Chair Edina Human Relations Commission JC /sw EDINA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1994 7:00 PM - MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Members Absent: Staff Present: Nancy Atchison Jan Buth Susan Wohlrabe Dorie Bannan Ming -Fen Ni John Crist Guests Present: Betsy Flaten Nancy Booker John Gordon Voices for Lifelong Shirley Hunt - Alexander Phyllis Kohler Sharon Ming Tom Oye Erick Strand Learning Minutes Approved. John Gordon's motion to approve the minutes of September 20, 1994, was seconded by Tom Oye; the motion carried. Report on Hazing. John Gordon reported that he had contacted Edina High School's new principal, Ron Tesch, who said he appreciated the Commission's support of his intentions to address the hazing issue at the school. Sharon Ming indicated that Greg Winter asked for a Human Relations Commissioner to be on the Hazing Committee, and John Gordon agreed to serve. Sharon will contact Greg to share this information with him and have him call John Gordon. Voices for Lifelong Learning. Nancy Booker was introduced and welcomed. She is the Community Education liaison of The Learning Exchange which offers community education opportunities for adults with disabilities. The class from the Voices for Lifelong Learning volunteers did a presentation, each having the opportunity to tell how the Voices class has helped to improve skills, to build relationships and self - esteem and to become more comfortable talking in front of other people. It was definitely a meaningful experience for the Commissioners. Strategic Planning. John Crist developed an evaluation of action items in order to determine priorities; four criteria were listed as ranking tools. Each Commissioner put time into ranking each task and then turned the evaluation in to Sharon Ming for tallying. Commission Brochure. Nancy Atchison reported that she and Jan Buth had met with Ralph Campbell and as a result developed a sample brochure for the Commission's evaluation. It was suggested that the Commission continue to strengthen its relationship with Family Resources regarding information and referral. The brochure, when and if it is finalized, needs to be available and seen in the schools, churches, offices and City Hall. A date should be printed on it somewhere. Information regarding the Commission could be printed in the About Town annually, with reference to the human service agencies which the City funds. Demographic information needs to be included within the brochure. The brochure's purpose might be twofold: letting people know about the Commission and letting people know what services are available. As a result of this discussion, Nancy will work with Jan and Ralph to develop another rough draft for the Commission's evaluation. Cultural Event. Betsy Flaten reported that the event is scheduled for March 18th and 19th at Edinborough Park. Saturday evening would be primarily for adults, and Sunday would be a family day. The evening event might be the Eastern Parade Play from the Mixed Blood Theatre with the combination of dinner and awards. The week before the event would be an opportunity for the school libraries to focus on the theme. Fund raising is a big issue and needs strong consideration by the Commissioners. Ming -Fen Ni will bring a budget and an outline of the event to the next meeting. The fund raising goal should be $6000. Shirley Hunt - Alexander will work with Betsy to develop books and materials for the schools regarding Asians. At the next Commission meeting, Betsy will report the purpose and goals of the Expo. Early Childhood. Shirley Hunt - Alexander would like to include the Commission in a few years in a family event with other organizations. She is acting as the representative to the Family Center's Advisory Committee. Adjournment. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, John Crist, Chair Edina Human Relations Commission JC /sw EDINA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1994 7:00 PM - MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Members Absent: Staff Present: Nancy Atchison John GordonSusan Wohlrabe Dorie Barman Shirley Hunt - Alexander Jan Buth Phyllis Kohler John Crist Betsy Flaten Sharon Ming Ming -Fen Ni Tom Oye Erick Strand Minutes Approved. Tom Oye's motion to approve the minutes of October 18, 1994, was seconded by Jan Buth; the motion carried. Chair's Report. John Crist reported that he had recently attended a FACES meeting where he had an opportunity to offer encouragement for their re- submission of a budget proposal next year. Jan Buth indicated that she would also give support to Roy Lewis at her next opportunity. After this year, FACES will have had an opportunity to become established and therefore lend greater credibility toward their funding proposal. Action Plans. Sharon Ming distributed evaluation ratings for identified tasks which each Commissioner had rated. The tally which illustrated rankings based on amount of influence, importance and urgency listed the top four tasks as: 1) priorities of the Commission; 2) funding process; 3) Chemical Health Advisory Committee; and 4) bias crime response. The other tally prioritized its top four as follows, based on amount of work involved: 1) bias crime response; 2) priorities of the Commission; 3) Chemical Health Advisory Committee; and 4) Family Center. The Commissioners agreed that the bias crime response needs to be worked on and completed. The rankings do fit in with the current activities of the Commission to a certain extent. Agenda should be determined as items to be worked on month by month, reflecting ranking and priority. Perhaps just a couple of action items could be selected for each year, always including the funding process. It was suggested that the Commission adopt the bias crime response by January 31; therefore, at the December Commission Meeting, John Crist and John Gordon will be prepared with a report. John Crist will consider an agenda format which Betsy Flaten had prepared as a way to stay on task and be prepared at each meeting. Cultural Event. Ming -Fen Ni distributed the report of the Cultural Event Planning Committee, made up of Betsy Flaten, Lynne Westphal, Jan Buth, Tom Oye, Mary Swatosh and Ming -Fen. The Commission discussed the content of the report and agreed to certain changes: 1) EVERYDAY HEROES We are here... With vision and courage... From many cultures... Making a DIFFERENCE and building our COMMUNITY. 2) The 1995 Cultural Event's mission is to recognize the everyday heroes in this community, their contributions and struggles, and to promote the inclusion of all. 3) The objectives are to introduce: a) the culture contributed by each of us and how that culture has helped us and made us proud; b) our stories of vision and courage that made a difference in this society or in our lives; and c) the common vision of "human rights, " - -the inclusion of all. The event will be held on March 18th and 19th at Edinborough; Betsy Flaten will meet with the Edinborough staff as soon as possible. Tickets will sell for $12 to $15 per person which will be for Saturday evening, March 18th, covering a play, dinner and recognition. Sunday, March 19th, will be family day and free admission, with performance groups, various activities and deli food for sale and/or snacks. Jan Buth will research a caterer for Saturday, and Dorie Barman offered to assist. The fund raising committee will consist of Ming -Fen Ni, Jan Buth and Alice Randall. John Crist will oversee the program committee. Lynne Westphal, Susan George and Diane Fredkove will comprise the publicity committee. The Commission is hopeful that this event will be a connection with the results of the Peter Benson study and that the youth will see that there are many different way to be heroes and to make a difference in the community. SHeRPA. At the Commission Meeting in December, Betsy Flaten will report on the Family Services Collaborative. Brochure. It was determined that it would be better to wait until the conclusion of the Family Services Collaborative for any recommendations regarding the development of a brochure for information and referral. Next Meeting. The date of the December Commission Meeting has been changed to Tuesday, December 13th, 7:00 PM, at ARNESON ACRES, 4711 West 70th Street. Adjournment. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:35 PM. Sincerely, John Crist, Chair Edina Human Relations Commission JC/sw EDINA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1994 7:00 PM - MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Nancy Atchison Dorie Barman Jan Buth John Crist Betsy Flaten John Gordon Shirley Hunt - Alexander Sharon Ming Ming -Fen Ni Tom Oye Members Absent: Phyllis Kohler Erick Strand Staff Present: Susan Wohlrabe Minutes Approved. Nancy Atchison's motion to approve the minutes of November 15, 1994, was seconded by Tom Oye; the motion carried. Chair's Report. John Crist commented on the four suggested objectives which he handed out and how to utilize a new monthly meeting format. A suggested sample format was distributed. Letter regarding Ciatti's. Tom Oye explained that he had contacted the complainant concerning the perceived discrimination at Ciatti's. A letter from the complainant to Ciatti's President had been forwarded to the Commission. Tom learned that the manager had been terminated, and on that particular occasion, they had been short- staffed. The complainant has since received a positive response from the Galleria management and has determined that it is no longer an issue. Apparently, it was a case of mismanagement rather than discrimination. A letter in this regard will be drafted and sent to Mayor Richards. No -Fault Grievance. Tom Oye reported on an incident in a grocery store involving a credit card sale. A woman was asked to sign her name and phone number on the slip. Thereafter, she asked two of her non - minority friends to go through the same process, and these people were not asked for their phone numbers. Tom will follow up on this situation. Bias Crime Response Network. John Gordon reminded the Commissioners that he had developed a format for an Emergency Response Team responding to bias crimes. This does not have to be a part of the monthly meetings, because the team could act on its own. Commissioners can respond to issues of concern and let people know that they care. For the January Commission Meeting, the Commissioners are to be prepared to discuss John's format on responding to acts of violence or harassment. Setting Priorities. Chair Crist asked that each Commissioner perform the following assignment to be turned in at the January Meeting: 1) Write down an item he /she feels is important and that he /she would like to work on. 2) Write down a problem area or an area of improvement of the Commission itself. 3) Write down any advice he /she has for the Chair of the Commission. Cultural Event. Jan Buth reported that the Committee had recently met with personnel from the Art Center and the Historical Society. The key to the success of the event is to keep it small and simple and build on who we are in Edina with contributing stories. Perhaps tiles could be done rather than a quilt, which could be permanently displayed. Stories could be videotaped, and perhaps the ABC scholars could help with this. The Art Center Director, Diana Hedges, could coordinate the tile project. The library would be helpful in planning story- telling, and Mattie Clark could be a part of this. CRP will keep all the stories on file, and perhaps the Sun could do a series of articles on the people with stories. Dave Moore would be a good possibility for the interviewer. Any ideas of people to be interviewed should be given to Betsy Flaten. The event itself will take place on Sunday, March 19th, from noon to 4 PM. The Commissioners were encouraged to submit contact names for contributions by the next meeting. SHeRPA. The Provider Study completed by SHeRPA was distributed and will serve as a database of information for policymakers, funders, program developers and providers. The report will be a resource to address specific issues. Betsy Flaten remarked on the Family Services Collaborative and how it might tie into the School -Human Services Redesign Initiative. Nancy Atchison reported that a subcommittee is currently designing a strategic planning process and planning a date for a session; input prior to the session is needed from each city. Nominating Committee. Tom Oye and Betsy Flaten will present a slate of officers for election at the January Meeting. Any nominations or suggestions may be submitted to them. New Business. Jan Buth reported that she is submitting her letter of resignation at this time; however, she would like to continue working on the upcoming Cultural Event. Adjournment. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, John Crist, Chair Edina Human Relations Commission JC /sw