MEETING AGENDA & MINUTES, CUMBERLAND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION

Chairman Joe Darr called the Thursday, March 25, 2010, meeting of the Cumberland Human Relations Commission to order at 5:05 pm. Commissioners attending the meeting were Penny Copman Secretary, Russ Conway, and Penny Weber. Also in attendance was Darrell Lee Powell Administrator of Cumberland Human Relations Commission/Fair Housing Specialist Cumberland Department of Community Development. 

Minutes for the Commission’s November 23, 2009 meeting were approved with correction. The meeting agenda date listed the March meeting held on Monday, March 25, 2009 instead of Thursday, March 25, 2010.

 

Committee Reports:  

Darrell Lee Powell, Fair Housing Specialist and Administrator to the Human Relations Commission (HRC) said that there has been no communication with the Mayor and City Council regarding code amendment request. Specialist Powell said that the Commissioners are required to update the Mayor and City Council yearly on actions take by the body to address housing discrimination. According to Powell, the Commission has not updated the Mayor and Council in HRC activities during his five-year tenure as incumbent Fair Housing Specialist/Administrator of HRC. 

 

The HRC Administrator presented the Commissioners with copies of three edited Fair Housing Brochures that were ready for printing. The Commissioners were advised that Printers Inc. presented the lowest bid on the brochures and that the total cost for 7500 brochures (2500 of each of the three brochures) is $1,999.22. There was discussion amongst the Commissioners regarding the number of brochures the FHEO office wanted to purchase. The body voted 4 to 0 in favor of purchasing the requested 7500-brochures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Commissioners were provided an update on the progress of planning on Fair Housing Month Program. The Fair Housing Specialist told the Commissioners that response from invited guest has been slow. The Specialist said that invited guest are limited to disabled advocates/providers, government officials, and nonprofit agencies leaders. 

 

The Commissioners were presented a draft copy of the Disabled Initiative Collaboration Plan developed by the Fair Housing Equal Opportunity (FHEO) Office Staff. The Commissioners were asked to review/edit the plan. The Commissioners said they would review/edit the plan.

 

FHEO Staff presented the Commissioners copies of the Accessible Housing Landlord Survey. The survey was developed in house the measure City property owners understanding of Fair Housing Accommodation Law and to determine how many accessible rental housing unites are available to the disabled community in the City of Cumberland. Staff asked the Commissioners to review/edit the survey and return to staff. The Commissioners agreed to assist with the review of the survey.

The Commissioners were presented copies of the Fair Housing Impediments Implementation Committee (FHIIC) Survey. The survey was created by FHEO staff and will be distributed to community agencies, advocates that provide services to the disabled community. The survey measures housing needs of the City of Cumberland disabled community, the community’s understanding of Fair Housing Law, and the community’s need to make modifications. The survey will be distributed prior to the Fair Housing Month Conference with results available the day of the April 28, 2010 Conference.  

The Fair Housing Specialist informed the Commissioners, that the City’s Five-Year Plan calls for the creation of a Fair Housing Impediments Implementation Committee (FHIIC).  That the community based committee is charged with the responsibility of taken action to find solutions to housing impediments identified by the City’s Analysis  of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Study (AI).  The Specialist told the Commissioners that the FHIIC would serve the same purpose as the Disabled initiative Collaboration staff has been working on to address impediments identified by the AI Study. Therefore, FHEO staff will merge the Disabled Initiative Collaboration Plan into the Impediments Implementation Plan.

The Commissioners were given copies of the 2^nd Quarter Report of the CDBG. There was no comment.

Copies of the Fiscal Year 2010-11 CDBG Application, which fund the FHEO Office, were distributed to the Commissioners. Staff told the Commissioners that the requested budget for FY 2011 is $47,803.12.