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HRC By-Laws 2023HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MISSION STATEMENT To serve as an advisory body to the New Hope City Council on matters pertaining to human rights, laws, issues, policies and programs. To develop formal and informal educational programs to assist in the implementation of Federal and State Human Rights Acts and Laws and the Federal American Disability Act, and to ensure all citizens full and equal participation in the affairs of the community. To provide leadership and act in a cooperative matter with agencies, organizations, and other Human Rights Commissions in order to recognize and prevent discrimination and inequalities in the daily lives of the residents of the City, all employees working in the City, all businesses located within the City, and students within the City of New Hope. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION By-Laws PURPOSE The purpose of these by-laws is to facilitate the Human Rights Commission’s responsibility as a permanent advisory commission to the City of New Hope. The Commission was re-established by the New Hope City Council under Ordinance 95-14 dated September 25, 1995. The Commission will help fulfill the City of New Hope’s responsibility as a partner with the State Department of Human Services, in securing for all of its citizens equal opportunity in housing, employment, public accommodations, public services and education, and to work consistently to improve the human relations climate in the City of New Hope. The Commission will service as an advisory body to the New Hope City Council on matters pertaining to human rights. At the direction of the City Council the Commission will develop formal and informal educational programs to assist in the implementation of Federal and State Human Rights Acts, and the Federal American Disabilities Act, as well as local ordinances pertaining to human rights, in order to assure that all citizens, property owners and organizations within the City have full and equal participation in the affairs of the community. At the direction of the City Council, the Commission will provide leadership and act cooperatively with human rights agencies, organizations, and other Human Rights Commissions in the recognition and prevention of discrimination and inequalities in the City of New Hope. ARTICLE I A. Organization/Composition and term in office The Commission shall be composed of up to ten New Hope residents appointed by a majority vote of the New Hope City Council per city code 2-25(d) for a two-year term. Commissioners may be reappointed. Of the ten commissioners, two may be high school students attending an area school. The term of office for the student commissioner(s) shall be the academic year (September 1st to August 31st). The student commissioner(s) may be reappointed. When a student commissioner leaves school permanently, the student commission appointment will expire. Another student will then be appointed by the City Council to fill the vacancy. ARTICLE II A. Duties/Powers/Responsibilities of Commission To adopt by-laws and rules of procedure for conducting its affairs, including the election, assumption of duties and defining the duties of its officers. To enlist the cooperation of agencies, organizations and individuals in the community in educational programs directed toward providing equal opportunity and eliminating inequalities. To formulate a human service education program in response to valid data obtained from professional analysis of community needs. To advise the City Council on human and civil rights issues. To cooperate with the State Department of Human Rights in the development of formal and informal educational programs which will assist in the implementation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act and which will provide for the commission’s assumption of leadership in recognizing and resolving potential human rights problem in the community. To obtain, when required, specific training and certification in human rights procedures. B. Election of Officers The officers of the Commission shall be elected each year by the current New Hope Human Rights Commission members at the January meeting. Election results shall be recorded in the minutes of the January meeting. Officers shall serve for a period of one year, commencing in January after being elected, and ending December 31st of that year. C. Officers The officers of the Commission shall be a chairperson, vice chairperson and a recording secretary. D. Duties of Officers 1. Chairperson The chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the New Hope Human Rights Commission and shall assume all the supervisory and management responsibilities associated with this position. The chairperson shall appoint all commission members to task forces. In addition, non- commission individuals may be selected to serve on a task force with the approval of the City Council. A commissioner on each task force will make a progress report at the monthly commission meeting. The chairperson (or a person appointed by the chairperson) shall upon being notified of a new commission member, welcome that member and inform said member about the role of the commission and his/her duties as a commissioner. 2. Vice Chairperson The vice chairperson shall, in the absence of the chairperson, assume all the responsibilities of the chairperson. 3. Secretary The secretary shall record and keep all commission minutes and records. The City Clerk shall keep all original commission minutes and records. The secretary shall mail to all current commission members and to others as instructed no later than five calendar days prior to the next meeting, a copy of the minutes from the last meeting and the agenda for the next meeting. The secretary shall notify all commission members of the time, place and reason for a special meeting. In the absence of the chair and vice chair, the secretary shall assume the duties of the commission chair. ARTICLE III A. Annual Meetings At its first meeting in January, the Commission shall set the dates and time for all regular meetings. B. Monthly Meetings The Commission shall hold a minimum of six regular monthly meetings in a calendar year unless otherwise specified. Monthly meetings will be held on the first Monday of the month at New Hope City Hall. C. Special Meetings The Commission chair or a majority of the present commissioners may call a special meeting. ARTICLE IV A. Conducting of Business In the presence of a quorum, a meeting is called to order. In the absence of all commission officers, the commissioners present may elect an acting chair. A quorum is defined as the presence of the majority of the commissioners. The most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall guide commission meetings, but not govern them. B. Order of Business • Roll call with results recorded in the minutes • Approval of the meeting agenda • Approval of last meeting minutes • Introduction of guests • Communications • Task force reports • Old business • New business • Announcements • Adjournment ARTICLE V A. Attendance Unexcused absences from three regular commission meetings shall be grounds for removal from this commission per City Code 2-7(c)(1)e. B. Removal From Office Section 2-7(2) of the New Hope City Code states that the commission may petition the City Council to remove any member when, in its discretion, the best interests of the City would be thereby served, after first giving the person so named an opportunity to be heard before the Commission and the City Council. A commissioners will be removed by a majority vote of the Council. C. Resignations The handling of all Commission resignations shall be governed by New Hope City Code 2-7(1)d. ARTICLE VI A. General Provisions No member of the Commission shall be authorized to speak on matters of human rights policy until the City Council and/or City Manager have approved of such statements. On all matters before the Commission, there shall be no proxy voting. ARTICLE VII A. By-Law Amendments/Ordinance Changes These by-laws may be recommended for amendment by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the commissioners at a regular or special meeting and then submitted to the City Council for approval. Notice of the proposed by-laws or ordinance changes shall be mailed by the secretary to all commissioners at least five days prior to the meeting of which amendment(s) or ordinance changes are considered. Any commission member may, in writing, propose changes to these by-laws or City Code 2-25. ARTICLE VIII A. Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law, Minnesota Statute §13D.01, states that all meetings, including executive sessions of any City commission meeting, shall be open to the public. B. The vote tally on all decisions of the Commission will be recorded in the minutes from that Commission meeting. ARTICLE IX A. These by-laws shall be governed by City Code 2-25. B. These by-laws were recommended for approval on October 7, 1996, by the New Hope Human Rights Commission, and approved by the New Hope City Council on October 27, 1997. C. These by-laws were recommended for approval on February 7, 2000, by the New Hope Human Rights Commission, and approved by the New Hope City Council on March 13, 2000. D. These by-laws were recommended for approval on February 6, 2023, by the New Hope Human Rights Commission, and approved by the New Hope City Council on March 27, 2023.