Article I
Section 1. The name of this Commission shall be the Hopkins Human Rights Commission.
Article II
Definition Of Terms
Section 1. For the purposes of these By-Laws, the terms defined in this section shall have the meanings given them.
Section 2. "Commission" means the Hopkins Human Rights Commission.
Section 3. "City Council" means the elected officials constituting the Mayor and Councilmembers for the City of Hopkins, Minnesota.
Section 4. "Member" means a duly appointed individual to the organization named in Article I.
Article III
Commission Members
Section 1. The Commission shall have no fewer than nine and no more than 15 members. The Commission may also have up to two student members.
Section 2. Each member shall be a citizen of the State of Minnesota and a majority of the Commission shall be residents of the City of Hopkins.
Section 3. The terms of office of each member shall be three years. Terms shall expire on June 30 of each year. Upon expiration of a term of office, the members shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed and qualified. Members shall serve no more than two consecutive terms unless the Commission did not have fifteen members at any time during the member's last term; in which case the member may be reappointed to another term. Members may be renominated after being off the Commission for one year. Student members shall be appointed for a one year term.
Section 4. If any member dies, resigns, or consistently fails to attend Commission meetings, the member's office shall be deemed vacant, and a successor shall be appointed for his or her unexpired term.
Section 5. Resignation from the Commission by any member must be submitted in writing to the Mayor.
Article IV
Officers And Employees
Section 1. The officers of the Commission shall be two Co-Chairs and a Secretary. The Secretary need not be a member of the Commission.
Section 2. The term of office for all officers shall be one year on a calendar year basis. The Co-Chairs shall be elected at the January meeting.
Section 3. The Co-Chairs shall be the presiding officers of the Commission. They shall preside at all meetings of the Commission, but shall have all of the same privileges of discussion, making motions and voting as do other members.
Section 4. The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Commission, and shall act as Clerk of such meetings and shall record all votes and the minutes of all proceedings. The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings of the Commission and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Commission.
Section 5. There will be no monetary compensation to any members of the Commission
Section 6. Employees of the City of Hopkins may be requested to aid the Commission. Such requests shall be made by the Chair to the City Manager of Hopkins and such requests may be written or oral.
Article V
Meetings
Section 1. Meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public.
Section 2. Meetings will normally take place on the first Monday of each month.
Section 3. Written notice of all meetings and copies of the minutes of each meeting shall be sent to all members. Written notice of meetings shall be mailed at least ten days prior to each meeting.
Section 4. Special meetings of the Commission may be called at any time by the Chair. The Commission Secretary will attempt to contact all Commission members to notify them of any special meetings.
Section 5. At any meeting of the Commission, a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
Section 6. If the Secretary is absent from the meeting, the Chairman shall appoint a Secretary pro tem for such meeting.
ARTICLE VI
Powers And Duties Of Commission
Section 1. Develop, in cooperation with the State Department of Human Rights, programs of formal and informal education.
Section 2. Formulate a Human Rights Program for the City of Hopkins, subject to review and approval by the Hopkins City Council, to give increased effectiveness, direction and encouragement to the work of all individuals and agencies addressing themselves to planning, policy making and educational programming in the area of civil and human rights, including helping people identify their responsibilities to bridge cultural and other differences.
Section 3. Coordinate efforts with Human Rights Commissions of neighboring cities where appropriate.
Section 4. Make recommendations to the City Manager and City Council in regard to the planning or operation of any City Department on issues of civil and human rights and make recommendations regarding the adoption of such specific policies or actions as are needed to provide for full equal opportunity in the City of Hopkins.
Section 5. Advise and make recommendations to the City Council in regard to human relations and civil rights problems in general, including but not limited to the protection of children, discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic status, family composition, and equal access to educational, employment, and recreational activities.
Section 6. Work with the West Suburban Mediation Center on methods to resolve disputes regarding human rights and procedures for referring human rights complaints to the Center for mediation.
Article VII
Financial Matters
Section 1. The Commission has no direct monetary funds.
Section 2. The Commission shall submit by budget its monetary needs to the City Council for inclusion by said Council on the general tax assessment.
Section 3. The fiscal year of the Commission shall be the calendar year.
Article VIII
Amendments To By-Laws
Section 1. Amendments to the By-Laws may be proposed at any meeting of the Commission. Amendments may not be adopted at the meeting where they are first proposed.
Section 2. A majority vote of the all the members of the Commission shall be necessary to adopt any amendment to these By-Laws
Adopted: February 28, 1994; Amended: February 27, 1995; Amended: October 21, 2002; Amended: January 6, 2003