Human Relations Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB Human Relations Commission November 5, 2019 The Human Relations Committee (HRC) held a regular meeting on November 5, 2019, in the Executive Conference Room at City Hall. Chair Larry Apperson called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the HRC were present: Larry Apperson (Chair), Dave Barrow, Nadine Franklin, Joe Gastiger, Norden Gilbert, Lisa King, and Tyrus Wright. Other City officials/staff present: Alderman Scott McAdams, Assistant City Manager Raymond Munch, and Interim Chief of Police John Petragallo. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS Motion to approve the agenda was made by Mr. Gastiger and seconded by Mr. Gilbert. Motion was approved by voice vote. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Gilbert motioned that the minutes of the October 1, 2019, meeting be approved. Mr. Apperson asked that the minutes be amended to capture the next steps agreed upon by Chief Petragallo and Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Gilbert motioned to approve the amended minutes; motion was seconded by Mr. Barrow. Minutes were approved by voice vote. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Chair Apperson called for public comment and there was none. E. NEW BUSINESS 1. None F. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion of Police/Community Relations Chief Petragallo was invited to update the members on his continued work to address the issue of police-community relations after an incident in August. Chief Petragallo indicated that he met with Joe Mitchell on October 2. Chief Petragallo explained that they had a good conversation and he agreed to send the table of contents of the department’s policy manual to Mr. Mitchell. This will give Mr. Mitchell an opportunity to review what, if any, policies may be of interest for community review. Human Relations Commission Meeting Minutes November 5, 2019 Page 2 of 3 RITE training is progressing slower than hoped due to NIU being in their busiest time of year. In December, Chief Phillips will host a training session open to the entire County and hopes to host another in spring and one in summer. Chief Petragallo also learned one DPD officer is already a certified RITE trainer and one or two more will be sent to train the trainer. Joe Gastiger asked if the department has required annual training to maintain certifications, similar to other professions. Chief Petragallo said, yes. Commander Woodruff is working on updating 2019 training records. Police-2-Citizen is ready to launch within next few weeks. Chief Petragallo shared with members what the public will see on the new portal and explained some of the functionality. Mr. Apperson asked if code violations could be displayed. ACM Munch explained that the logistics of that could be explored; however, Building & Code does not have access to the police records management system that feeds into this program. Joe Gastiger informed the members of an organized demonstration on Saturday, November 9, at 2 p.m. in front of the police station. 2. Landlord-Tenant Regulations – Review of Chapter 10 or Municipal Code Mr. Gastiger started discussion noting 10.06 code violations. Notification of open code violations is required, but questions whether landlords can rent to a new tenant if open code violations exist. Barrow added that this section might need more teeth to really be effective. Ryan Ziegelbauer (public participant) shared his experience living in Scotland as an international student. There, every landlord is licensed by the city and must be inspected by city upon move in/out. Also, there were highly visible resources available to find safe, affordable housing. Jacob Masse (public participant) talked about the fact that code enforcement does work and recently helped to get heat turned back on at Lincoln Tower. However, it seems like the code enforcement issue is a vicious cycle. As issues are addressed and resolve, new ones come up. Mr. Gastiger stated that doesn’t believe “mom and pop” landlords should be held to same standards as larger corporate landlords. Anylin Ziegelbauer (public participant) shared that “mom and pop” landlords in Scotland are still regulated, but the are different tiers of regulation based on number of units managed. Jacob Masse talked about tenant regulations in other Illinois towns that may be useful in DeKalb. Evanston has a common lease that is required and promotes a Centers for Disease Control program known as the healthy home project. He also talked about an Human Relations Commission Meeting Minutes November 5, 2019 Page 3 of 3 Evanston program that allows residents to deduct from rent for repairs. ACM Munch clarified that is a State law known as the Right to Repair Act. Mr. Barrow expressed his support for a common lease. Ms. King raised the point that we may need to be cautious about impacting good landlords unintentionally. She thinks maybe we are applying something to a group because of one bad apple. ACM Munch stated that the members need to think about the need to balance the City’s role of promoting the health, safety and welfare of tenants with the rights of private business. He indicated that much of what is being suggested is already regulated in the court of civil law and trying to regulate this through City code may be impractical. Mr. Apperson discussed the idea of a true landlord licensing program that would require inspections. He stated he realizes that is the potential for a lot of work and staff time needed for such a program. ACM Munch indicated there is some history behind that idea and when it was discussed in the past, there was pushback from landlords. Members discussed ways to work with NIU to share information with student renters about finding quality rental housing. Anylin Ziegelbauer added that it might be worth sharing that same info with local employers whose employees are likely to rent. 3. Census Update Mr. Apperson informed the members that he participated in the first Complete Count Committee and updated members on that meeting and census efforts in general. 4. AGN Update None. G. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m. Motion by Mr. Gilbert, seconded by Mr. Barrow. Motion approved by voice vote. _____________________________________________ Raymond Munch, Assistant City Manager Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on: January 7, 2020