HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/25/1988WORK SESSION
April 25, 1988
6:00 p.m.
Large Conference Room
Members present: Mayor McKinley, Buck, Angel, Wright, Fox, Budak
and Brown.
Mayor McKinley stated that the Human Rights Commission had
approached him regarding restoring the full funding of the Human
Rights Commission for the F.Y. 1989 budget. McKinley stated that
the Commission had approached him so he suggested that the
Council have a work session regarding the request of the Human
Rights Commission.
Ms. Gale Quirk, representing the Chairperson of the Human Rights
Commission, stated that the reduced funding the Council
authorized during the budget hearing would cause severe problems
with the operation of the Department and with the Commission.
Quirk continued that if the funding was not restored that one of
the case workers would have to be cut to part time, which would
be Mr. James Boyd and being a family man, he most likely would
seek other employment. Ms. Quirk presented a letter from Martha
D. Ward, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, formally
requesting the meeting of the Human Rights Commission with the
City Council. Ms. Quirk ran through some of the statistics of
cases which the Human Rights Commission had worked and regarding
the backlog that presently exists with the Human Rights
Commission.
B. J. Furgerson, Director of Human Rights Commission, stated that
her Department receives 25 to 40 complaints per month, with 63
complaints filed in 1987.
Councilperson Brown questioned the length of time in which a case
from 1984 has gone on.
Councilperson Fox questioned the case processing operation that
now exists in the Human Rights Commission.
Mayor McKinley stated that in the past, there have been problems
with the attendance record of the Board members.
Ms. Quirk stated that in order to accommodate the operation of
the Department, the Board has now split into three member panels
to review cases and then taking a recommendation back to the
Board for a decision. Ms. Quirk continued that this way it would
not require that the Board members meet always as a Board to
review cases. Quirk continued that she is very concerned about
the operation of the Department and concerned about their
employees which they may be forced to cut to part time.
Councilperson Angel stated that all Departments have been
required to take a 6 percent cut, and that this is a problem
throughout the City.
Mayor McKinley suggested that the Council have a work session on
the entire budget, possibly May 3, to answer some of the other
questions that were left unanswered during the budget hearing.
With no further business before the Council, the meeting was
adjourned.
Larry P. Burger
Clerk/Auditor