HomeMy WebLinkAbout9.12.24 DEI AB Special Meeting Minutes- Ordinance Review City of Lansing DEI Advisory Board Minutes: Special Ordinance Review Session Thursday, September 12, 2024 6 pm – 7:30 pm 4th Floor, City Hall Lansing, MI
Call to Order: 6:10 pm
Attendance: Byron Haskins (MAL) (Acting Secretary) Florensio Hernandez (MAL), Raquel
Sparkman (3rd Ward), Randy Watkins (4th Ward),
City Staff Attendees: Kimberly Coleman, Michael Hopson, Daniel DuChene
Approval of Agenda:
- Correction was made to add item to agenda for public comments. Moved (?) and
supported (?) and added by consensus.
Public Comment:
- No public comment
Ordinance Review:
- This is a special meeting to develop an approach to reviewing city ordinances with a
rubric for defining criteria, priorities and key ordinance elements
- Consensus was reached on basing the rubric on the six questions provided by the
DEI Officer and that the specific of the rubric may vary depending on the ordinance
reviewed.
- Board members, by consensus chose to review Chapter 297 of the Lansing City
Code of Ordinances on Human Rights as it is having been presented to the DEI
Board for review.
- Board members reviewed comments to identify themes and concerns and agreed
by consensus to first assess the completeness of section 297.02 – Definitions.
- By consensus, the board agreed on the following changes and additions:
o Remove the designation of “Race” in the ordinance and replace it with
“ancestry” as defined in the document, noting that there is no definition for
race.
o Using appropriate sources, a definition of:
Affirmative action
Antisemitism
Consanguinity
Culture and cultural rights
Disablism
Xenophobia
Retaliation
2
o Revise the definition of “religion” to make a distinction between religious
belief and practice so that focus will be on observable practice
o The definition of sexual orientation is sufficient without the phrase after the
semicolon that reads, “the state of being …” because it is limiting.
- The board requested that the city attorney investigate providing training to board
members on municipal law and the process in which recommended changes to the
code are processed by the city.
- In review of section 297.04 -Discriminatory public accommodation practices. Board
members agreed that a third (section c) be added to address that no person should
be prohibited from using public facilities based on gender identity.
- Consensus arrived that the board would continue work begun at this meeting during
the unfinished business items of the next regular meeting.
Motion to adjourn (Hernadez) Supported (Sorroche) Ayes (Haskins, Hernandez, Sparkman)
Nay (Watkins).
Meeting adjourned at 7:40 pm