Civil Rights Commission

CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING CITY OF DAVENPORT, IOWA Tuesday, January 13, 2026; 12:00 PM Virtual Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84869608008?pwd=MUhuMUNSUnp4WlZndk9tbXZiMlY1UT09 I. Roll Call Virtual Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84869608008?pwd=MUhuMUNSUnp4WlZndk9tbXZiMlY1UT09 II. Approval of Agenda III. Approval of Minutes A. December 2025 Minutes IV. Director's Report A. December 2025 Director's Report B. December 2025 Case Status Report V. New Business A. E-0077-0042-17 B. Selection of Officers VI. Old Business VII. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(f) A. ED-0118-0002-15 VIII. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(f) A. H-0050-0015-21 IX. Public Comment and Presentation X. Adjourn XI. Next Meeting  City of Davenport Civil Rights Commission Department: Civil Rights Action / Date Contact Info: | 1/13/2026 Subject: December 2025 Minutes Attachments: None  City of Davenport Civil Rights Commission Department: Civil Rights Action / Date Contact Info: | 1/13/2026 Subject: December 2025 Director's Report Attachments: 1. January 2026 Director's Report DIRECTOR’S REPORT FOR THE DAVENPORT CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION FOR December 2025 I. CASE STATUS 1. One “right to sue” letter was issued in the month of December. 2. One case settled in mediation in the month of December. This case involved allegations of race discrimination in employment. The case resolved for $8,000 for the Complainant and relief in the public interest. II. OTHER ACTIVITY 1. The Director completed case processing documentation. 2. The Director followed up on the correspondence to City Administrator Gleason relating to the November Joint Meeting regarding finance and relocation and the delayed hiring of part-time employee. 3. The Director worked with outside counsel to compile materials supporting legal matters pertaining to the Commission. 4. The Director continues to await the receipt of an updated proposal on the property proposed for the office relocation as mentioned last month, the previous bid related to a larger, general remodel, rather than being tailored to the specific requests submitted by the Commission. 5. The Director still has not received commitment from the CFO to attend the Commission meeting to go over the answers to the questions posed following the Joint Work session with the City Council, the initial request was for attendance at the November meeting. 6. As reported in November, the Director was notified by the Human Resources Director that Human Resources could not process a personnel action, due to the current state of residence of the staff member. After the request for further information on an expected timeline for processing the personnel action, the Director received an email stating that the Commission would need to hire a consultant to ascertain the appropriate manner to hire the employee, the options given were: 1. Engaging an outside consultant with specialized expertise in California hiring practices. 2. Establishing a direct contract with the individual to provide services. 3. Partnering with a staffing agency with a local office in California to employ this individual. This directive appears to conflict with the city code which states that the Director of Human Resources shall “provide staff services for the City and for various boards, consultants, study commissions and other governmental agencies regarding personnel needs and problems.” Dav. Mun. Code § 2.50.050(E). The Commission relies on HR to fulfill this statutory responsibility, which includes supporting the onboarding and employment of Commission staff regardless of their state of residence. This matter has not been resolved to date. It appears that the ongoing delays due to a lack of response from Human Resources, slow processing of personnel actions by both Finance and Human Resources, have continued.  7. There remains no resolution to the internal complaint regarding the interception of the Commission’s confidential mail, submitted on December 20, 2023. 8. The Director continues to monitor COVID-191 rates and its impact on office functions. 9. The Director worked on case resolution documents. 10. The Director worked on litigation. 11. The Director continued reviewing applications for the open positions. 12. The Director continues to work on the update of training materials and professional development opportunities related to the staffing realignment related to the forced departure of the Asst. Director/Housing Programs Manager. 13. The Housing Analyst resigned and the position is being staffed on an interim basis by the Civil Rights Intake staff member. 14. The Civil Rights Intake Specialist worked on housing investigations. 15. The Civil Rights Intake Specialist worked on housing inquiries. 16. The Civil Rights Intake Specialist worked on case resolutions. 17. The Senior Civil Rights Analyst worked on case intakes. 18. The Senior Civil Rights Analyst worked on investigations. 19. The Senior Civil Rights Analyst worked on case resolutions. III. OLD BUSINESS 1. Ongoing discrimination, harassment and bullying of Commission staff. 1. Retaliatory actions against Commission staff and further examples of different treatment. 2. Legal Department refusal to accept Commission referral. 3. Use of racial slurs in City Hall. City’s failure to initiate complaint investigation. 4. Investigation of hostile working environment, still no findings over a year after the initiation of the investigation. 5. Continued refusal to process vacation correction, despite receiving their legal opinion which clearly indicates that the Commission’s procedure for processing the correction was appropriate and the subsequent resolution directing the reversal of any decisions infringing on the Commission’s decision making authority. 6. Constructive discharge of Commission employees. 7. The Commission continues to face delays and obstructive actions by City Administration that have hindered resolution of matters previously presented to the City Council. These actions appear to be intended to undermine the Commission’s mission and reflect ongoing retaliation and retaliatory harassment in response to substantiated complaints of discrimination and harassment. 8. Office Relocation - The Director conducted a preliminary accessibility audit of the property, there appears to be sufficient room for the Commission and it appears to be able to be updated within the budget set for the office remodel. The city submitted a copy of the preliminary report of the property, which appears to highlight the same issue included within the preliminary accessibility audit submitted by the Commission. There is an updated assessment of the property which outlines a substantial remodel of the building, 1 Also, measles, influenza and RSV.  beyond what was requested by the Commission, the Director received notice from Interim City Administrator Nicole Gleason that they had not been provided the Commission’s scope which was submitted in August 2025 and the city staff would be redoing the proposal based upon the data requested from the Commission. 9. Council Resolution - The resolution was passed July 23, 2025 however past actions have not been corrected. IV. NEW BUSINESS 1. Staffing delays.  City of Davenport Civil Rights Commission Department: Civil Rights Action / Date Contact Info: | 1/13/2026 Subject: December 2025 Case Status Report Attachments: None  City of Davenport Civil Rights Commission Department: Civil Rights Action / Date Contact Info: | 1/13/2026 Subject: E-0077-0042-17 Attachments: None  City of Davenport Civil Rights Commission Department: Civil Rights Action / Date Contact Info: | 1/13/2026 Subject: Selection of Officers Attachments: None