Minot – The Ad-Hoc Human Relations Committee met on Monday in the City Council Chambers for the third time since its inception. The committee was able to accomplish one of the three main items on Monday’s agenda by passing agreeable language for Article X of the HRC Ordinance.
The committee members, co-chaired by Council Members Scott Burlingame and Lisa Olson, were all present at the meeting except Miranda Schuler. Olson, chair of Monday’s meeting, opened the meeting with discussion concerning the IT challenges that the City Council chambers have had at recent meetings. There was discussion of whether committee members should be able to vote via remote software with an ultimate determination to table the discussion until the next meeting.
Monday’s agenda included three main items: Article 10 (officer job descriptions), Article 9 (election of officers), and Article 13 (voting). Olson opened the floor for discussion on Article 10 and was quickly met with a motion by Mike Blessum to accept the current wording of the ordinance and then make applicable amendments. This motion was seconded, and the amendments began. The full verbiage of the current ordinance can be found here.
Most of the amendments had to with updating the verbiage to be more applicable to current practices with the City of Minot. Great concern was expressed by Blessum and City Manager Harold Steward to ensure that any committee that would be put in place would be flexible to ensure that it does not burden any city employees.
Olson noted that they got through one-third of the agenda but called the meeting “productive” as they were able to extensively move through the language with detail.
Olson asked for discussion to approve all the amendments that to Article X of the HRC Ordinance when a final amendment was put in motion by Denise Dykeman to change the language of Section 2.a from “assume the duties of the chairperson during his/her absence” to “assume the duties of the chairperson during their absence.” Dykeman stated that it was “old language these days.” There was no discussion on the change and it did pass 5-3. Following this, Olson called the vote for accepting all the amendments to the original language in the HRC Ordinance. This motion did pass unanimously.
The next Human Relations Committee meeting will be taking place in the Council Chambers on September 26. This meeting is open to the public to attend though no public comment will be accepted during the meeting.
You can view the full meeting here:
