Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER RESOLUTION NO. 16-141 AMENDING THE DUTIES, FUNCTIONS, AND COMPOSITION OF THE COMMUNITY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT BOARD (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
At the October 4, 2016 Council meeting, City Council gave direction to assign the subject of issues concerning persons with disabilities to the Community Civic Engagement Board (CCEB), and designated one position on that Board for a person with disabilities in addition to the position designated for a special needs advocate. Staff has drafted a resolution that would amend the resolution that originally established the CCEB so as to codify those changes.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
WAVE further reading and ADOPT Resolution No. 16-141, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE DUTIES, FUNCTIONS, AND COMPOSITION OF THE COMMUNITY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT BOARD.”
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
As a result of a civil rights compliance review by the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) conducted in 2014 (a follow-up to a review initially conducted in 2011), the City of Carson was found to be out of compliance in several areas related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. As a consequence, HUD has placed the City under a Voluntary Compliance Agreement dated June 30, 2014. One major area of noncompliance cited was the City’s lack of mechanisms for dealing with the concerns and issues of persons with disabilities. To address this shortcoming, staff presented two options to City Council at its September 20, 2016 meeting: a) adding disability issues among the duties and functions of the existing Human Relations Commission, or b) creating a separate body to advise City government on these issues. Staff recommended alternative (a) because it would make use of an existing advisory body, as opposed to adding to the existing 22 advisory boards and commissions the City already has. At that time, Council gave direction to staff to return with the necessary change to the Carson Municipal Code to assign that responsibility to the Human Relations Commission.
Staff did present those proposed changes to Council at its October 4, 2016 meeting. However, in looking into the matter further, staff discovered that another option for making use of an existing advisory body existed with the Community Civic Engagement Board, which had a position reserved on it for a “special needs advocate”, so staff presented that alternative to Council as well. Unlike the Human Relations Commission, which is established in the Carson Municipal Code, and consequently changes to the HRC’s duties, functions, and composition would require amending the Code, the CCEB was established by resolution (Resolution No. 11-070, adopted June 8, 2011; Exhibit No. 1), and thus similar changes merely require amending that establishing resolution. Council voted to assign the issue of disabilities to the CCEB, and designated one of the positions on that body for a resident with disabilities in addition to the previously designated position for a “special needs advocate.” Those changes are incorporated into the proposed Resolution No. 16-141 (Exhibit No. 2).
V. FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact. Members of the Community Civic Engagement Board serve without compensation.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 11-070. (pgs. 3-7)
2. Resolution No. 16-141. (pgs. 8-12)
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Prepared by: Keith Bennett, Community Development Department