Susan Morrel-Samuels spoke at the meeting about the City of Chelsea Human Rights Commission.
City of Chelsea Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission shall be composed of five members approved by the city council and shall be responsible directly to the mayor and city council. Prospective members shall apply for consideration for appointment pursuant to a city administrative policy to be adopted by the city and amended from time to time. The commission shall elect one of its members as chairperson. Members shall serve staggered three-year terms. The term as chairperson shall be for one year with no limit on the number of times a member may be reappointed as chairperson. Members, including the chairperson, shall serve without compensation.
Susan Morrel-Samuels spoke at the meeting about the City of Chelsea Human Rights Commission.
City of Chelsea Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission shall be composed of five members approved by the city council and shall be responsible directly to the mayor and city council. Prospective members shall apply for consideration for appointment pursuant to a city administrative policy to be adopted by the city and amended from time to time. The commission shall elect one of its members as chairperson. Members shall serve staggered three-year terms. The term as chairperson shall be for one year with no limit on the number of times a member may be reappointed as chairperson. Members, including the chairperson, shall serve without compensation.
Duties:
- Make periodic public reports and recommendations to the city council and city manager on ways to improve city government programs and ordinances designed to eliminate discrimination or to remove the effects of past discrimination
- Study complaints filed with the commission, and make reports to the city council and city manager regarding complaints from any class or group protected under the human rights ordinance
- Research and formulate programs of community education with the objective of discouraging and eliminating racial tensions, and prejudice or discrimination against any groups of persons
- Communicate with federal and state agencies regarding their human rights and affirmative action programs for the purpose of making recommendations to the city council on more effective coordination of federal, state and city programs.
- The commission shall not address itself to questions of whether specific instances of discrimination have occurred, but, rather, shall address itself to needed changes in city procedures and programs.
The commission shall establish and submit for city council approval rules for the conduct of its meetings, and research.
The commission shall not have any inherent authority to take any unilateral action relative to its research or recommendations, nor may it carry out any programs or other plan it may formulate without being expressly authorized by a majority vote of the city council, and may then only act within the scope of the authorization granted by council.