Minutes 04-08-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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to promote equity, but if this proposed group has a specific social justice goal or agenda for women, then that charge should be developed by the Board of County Commissioners and given to the HRC. He feels that this applies to any priority that is important to the Board. He said there needs to be a more specific charge on these issues. He said the Board needs to establish priorities for a specific time period and create a real civil rights agenda for the County. Commissioner Price said President Obama issued another executive order yesterday, dealing with pay raises for women who are contract workers for the federal government. She said this shows that the matter has not gone away, and it needs to be attacked. She said she can see this starting off as a small charge, and then it can be re-vamped once it has taken hold. Commissioner porosin said the long time staff person at HRC is retiring, and this is an opportunity to re-think how this department will work as it relates to social justice. He thinks more should be done, and the Commissioners have the responsibility to provide the direction. Commissioner Rich said she thinks it is often true that the Board discusses items without giving a clear direction. She said she is still unclear what the proposed women's group would do. She can see why the Diversity Matters group is important, but this is still too broad. She does not have a clear vision of this. She would like to talk with the Diversity Matters group as well as Commissioner Gordon and Commissioner Price to help her understand this. Chair Jacobs said part of the proposal is that the Board will get a clearer proposal in May. Commissioner Rich questioned whether this is the right way to move forward, by having staff tell the Board what they think the Board wants them to do. Chair Jacobs said yes. He does not see a problem with working with an advisory board that has already put energy into exploring related issues. He said this group has made a proposal to come back to the Board, having done work before and after this meeting. Chair Jacobs said the HRC used to do an annual symposium, years ago. He said one element that has not been part of this conversation is community involvement. He could see bringing in female entrepreneurs and someone from the Compass Center to have a day with various presenters and subgroups. He said this could draw out recommendations for the County Commissioners about how to move forward to address certain issues. He said this would bring in the community engagement part, instead of just leaving this to the advisory board. Commissioner McKee said Commissioner porosin made a good point about the Board needing to be more specific in providing direction and guidance for the focus of this group. He said he is hearing that the HRC is coming back with a report, and this is an opportunity to provide information that can be incorporated into this report. He said he is suggesting this be done before the group comes back with the report. Commissioner Price said the Commission for Women used to have community events in the late eighties and nineties, and a lot of that has been lost now. She said there are a women's center and the Compass Group, so the issues of domestic violence and rape are being covered. She said the goal here was to step away from that to look at other ways that women could be empowered, looking at jobs, economic development, and salaries. She said the goal was not to make it too broad, but to start with one aspect. She said her resolution may not have been as defined as the Board would like, but it was a starting point to look at economic development. Commissioner Pelissier said overall she does not see the Board creating a new commission. She feels things can be accomplished thought the HRC sub-committee, in partnership with other organizations. She suggested a partnership with the Chamber of