Human Relations Commission

AGENDA Human Relations Commission Meeting Location: Executive Conference Room (Second Floor) City Hall, 200 South Fourth Street February 5, 2019 6:30 p.m. A. Roll Call B. Approval of Agenda – Additions/Deletions C. Approval of Minutes – January 8, 2019 D. Public Participation E. Old Business 1. AGN Updates a. Public Safety b. Food Security - Dan Kenney, DeKalb County Community Gardens 2. Website Revisions F. New Business 1. City Staffing Reductions G. Adjournment For questions regarding this agenda, please contact Raymond Munch at 815-748-2392 or raymond.munch@cityofdekalb.com  DRAFT MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB Human Relations Commission January 8, 2019 The Human Relations Committee (HRC) held a regular meeting on January 8, 2019, in the Executive Conference Room at City Hall. Chair Larry Apperson called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the HRC were present: Larry Apperson (Chair), Lisa King, Joe Gastiger Norden Gilbert. Members absent at roll call were: Maurice Bailey, David Barrow, Robert Williams. The following City staff members were present: Interim Assistant City Manager Raymond Munch, Information Technology Director Marc Thorson, Management Intern Walker Steinke. Notes were taken by Raymond Munch. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS The agenda was approved. Motion by Joe Gastiger, seconded by Norden Gilbert. C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Two members of the public were present for the meeting. Steve Kapitan introduced himself as a candidate for Alderman of the 3rd Ward. Scott McAdams introduced himself as a candidate for Alderman of the 5th Ward. Kapitan and Ward offered general commentary and feedback on the City website during the City Website Redesign item under new business. D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the December 11, 2018 meeting were approved. Motion by Lisa King, seconded by Joe Gastiger. E. OLD BUSINESS 1. Cultural Diversity Training Lisa King shared information she received in regard to cooperation between City police and NIU police on cultural diversity training. King learned that there is currently some level of shared training that has occurred with the two departments. Larry Apperson indicated that he hopes to meet with Chief Lowery soon and will seek more detail on this topic. Apperson also stated that he hopes to meet with Dan Kenney soon to discuss projects related to the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan. F. NEW BUSINESS Human Relations Commission Meeting Minutes December 11, 2018 Page 2 of 2 1. City Website Redesign Information Technology Director Marc Thorson presented information on the upcoming redesign of the City website. Thorson indicated that he has sought public feedback through several community forums, as well as many of the City’s boards, committees, and commissions. Thorson provided a brief overview of some of the website features and discussed what the scope of the redesign. To aid in the discussion, Thorson projected examples of government websites recently designed by the City’s service provider (Portland, Maine; Reilly County, Kansas; Elgin, Illinois; Oak Hill, Tennessee; Berea, Ohio). Discussion ensued on the likes and dislikes of the City’s current website design and which features of the example websites might prove to be improvements. Joe Gastiger spoke to the fact that the City website, and the homepage, in particular, lacks any sort of identity for DeKalb. Gastiger would like to see more images and a short narrative, both highlighting the diversity of DeKalb and its position as a welcoming community. Other members continued this discussion and there was a consensus that identity is a major issue for the website. Many of the example websites prominently display large, high- quality images of the community across the homepage. Members said these types of photos could be used to attract prospective students and their parents to NIU and the DeKalb community. Much of the discussion focused on homepage features, such as the news section, calendar, menus, icons/buttons, and search features. F. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Motion by Gilbert, seconded by King. _____________________________________________ RAYMOND MUNCH, Interim Assistant City Manager Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on: