Title
Notice/Advertisement Title: Neighborhoods, Recreation, and Parks Committee Hearing - Community Relations Commission Code Change
Contact Name: Jacob Dilley
Contact Telephone Number: 614-645-5292
Contact Email Address: jadilley@columbus.gov
Body
Neighborhoods, Recreation, and Parks Committee Hearing
Date: Wednesday - June 5, 2024
Time: 5:00pm
Location: Columbus City Hall - Council Chambers, 90 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215
Subject: Community Relations Commission Code Change (Ordinance 1440-2024)
Councilmembers Present: Councilmembers Nancy Day-Achauer and Christopher L. Wyche
Summary of Minutes:
- Call to Order: 5:02pm
- Present: Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, Councilmember Christopher L. Wyche, Interim Director Todd Dieffenderfer, Pedro Mejia, Robert Tobias, Mark Carter, Marwah Warsame, Chelsea Golterman, Emiliana Morales, Luke Hawes, Ramani Hunter, Chris Cozad
- Introduction: Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, Councilmember Christopher L. Wyche, Interim Director Todd Dieffenderfer, Pedro Mejia, Robert Tobias
- Presentation: Interim Director Todd Dieffenderfer and Pedro Mejia, on Ordinance 1440-2024
- Councilmember Comments:
- Vice-Chair Wyche: How will the code change alter the day to day operations?
- Interim Director Dieffenderfer: It would not. This code change would keep everyday operations the same.
- Vice-Chair Wyche: Can you speak to positive outcomes of the Community Relations Commission?
- :Mr. Mejia: Discrimination is very difficult to deal with. Discrimination is addressed at many different levels and it is confusing. At the Community Relations Commission helps people to understand the level of discrimination and if it does not fall under the purview of the CRC, the CRC makes a referral. The success is making sure residents feel heard.
- Chair Day-Achauer: How do people find out about the CRC?
- Interim Director Dieffenderfer: Google, if people search online discrimination in Columbus, CRC comes up. Also with funding from Council, increased publicity has helped. Also there several outreach events through out the year.
- Chair Day-Achauer: Why is the representation of the 12 Protected Class on the CRC so important?
- Interim Director Dieffenderfer: We want to make sure that the lived experience is represented on the Commission to provide for deeper understanding.
- Vice-Chair Wyche: Can you expand on difficulties with investigations?
- Mr. Mejia: What is hard is people do not think it will happen. We encourage documentation, certified mail, and saving emails prior to filing the claim. I think general education is the biggest hurdle. We have seen greater engagement year to year. At RISE UP CBUS! we talk
to 50-60 people. Members of protected classes typical are members of other protected classes and do not have access to the tools to understand. The lived experiences on the Commission helps.
- Chair Day-Achauer: How do we compare to our Ohio sister cities?
- Interim Director Dieffenderfer: We have the only full time CRC Investigator in the state. Our city also has made a priority to protect residents further than just the state mandate.
- Public Comments:
- Ms. Cozad, Chair, Community Relations Commission: Chair of the Community Relations Commission. Been a commissioner for 20+ years. As a member of various protected classes, I can say that CRC works to help inform residents about discrimination, how to identify it and how
to report it. This is also important because the state does not protect everyone, such as LGBTQ+ community and the city does protect them. I applaud the spirit to ensure that Columbus residents have access to this program. The commission is asking for this change so we can expand the pool of candidates
-Chair Day-Achauer: Thank you for your insight and it is helpful to hear from an actual commissioner.
- Ms. Hunter, Executive Director, Kingdom Image Arts: I am unfamiliar with the Commission and I would love to receive more information. I am hear to talk about the Equity and the Geographic Zone. I am here because only one camp got the summer youth grants in our area due to the Geographic Zone. I do ask for transparency.
- Chair Day-Achauer: We will have Department of Neighborhoods follow up to provide more information about how the Summer Youth Grants process.
- Closing Remarks:
- Chair Day-Achauer: Interim Director, do you have any further comments?
- Interim Director Dieffenderfer: Thank you for the public hearing
- Chair Day-Achauer: City Attorney? Mr. Mejia?
- Mr. Mejia: Thank you
- Chair Day-Achauer: Thank you for being here and for your work.
- Vice-Chair Wyche: Thank you chair for the hearing. I have always encouraged for public transparency. At a time when protected classes are consistently under attack. It seems like the city is the only safe space.
- Chair Day-Achauer: Agreed. Thank you for coming. I move to adjourn.
- Adjourned: 5:37pm