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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-COMMSERV-2006-04-12 } Community Services Committee Minutes April 12, 2006 Committee members present- Shane Seger,Michelle Berry,Robin Holtham Korherr(Chair), Gayraud Townsend Staff and other Council members present—Brian Wilbur(IFD), Lana Milton(GIAC),Mayor Peterson and Guy VanBenschoten(IFD). 1. Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Approval of minutes—March 8, 2006-motioned by Michelle Berry and 2nd by Shane Seger.Carried Unanimously. 3. Agenda review—Add 1 item—Gayraud Townsend—Reality check program. Welcome Lana Milton form GIAC—notes. Special Thank you to Darlise Barrett—for taking notes at the March 8,2006 meeting 4. Public comment—Guy Gerard—expressed his concern over traffic issues and stated that actions taken would be favorable to the safety and quality of life issues for the public. He identified N.Aurora St. being used as a short cut from State St.to Route 13, and added that stop signs at a minimum are needed to make the street pedestrian friendly. 5. Response to Public/Privilege of the floor— Michelle Berry—Thanked Mr.Gerard and reassured him that safety is being addressed. J.R. Clairborne-Thanked all organizations involved with the collaboration of bringing Derek Alderman —Professor of Geography @ East Carolina University to the History Center. Robin Korherr—Stated that N. Aurora St. still a priority spot for traffic calming and that she shares his concerns. 6. Adoption of the National Incident Management System Moved by Berry, Seconded by Townsend WHEREAS,In Homeland Security Presidential Directive(HSPD)-5,the President directed the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System(NIMS),which would provide a consistent nationwide approach for federal, state, local and tribal governments to work together more effectively and efficiently to prevent,prepare for, respond to,and recover from domestic incidents,regardless of cause, size or complexity;and WHEREAS,the collective input and guidance from all federal, state, local and tribal homeland security partners has been, and will continue to be,vital to the development,effective implementation and utilization of a comprehensive NIMS;and WHEREAS,it is necessary that all federal, state, local,and tribal emergency management agencies and personnel coordinate their efforts to effectively and efficiently provide the highest levels of incident management;and WHEREAS,to facilitate the most efficient and effective incident management it is critical that federal, state, local, and tribal organizations utilize standardized terminology, standardized organizational structures,uniform personnel qualification standards,uniform standards for planning,training,and exercising,comprehensive resource management, and designated incident facilities during emergencies or disasters; and WHEREAS,the NIMS standardized procedures for managing personnel,communications,facilities and resources will improve the state's ability to utilize federal funding to enhance local and state agency readiness,maintain first responder safety, and streamline incident management processes; and WHEREAS,the Incident Command System components of NIMS are already an integral part of various incident management activities throughout the state, including all public safety and emergency response organizations training programs; and WHEREAS,the National Commission of Terrorist Attacks(9-11 Commission)recommended adoption of a standardized Incident Command System; now therefore,be it RESOLVED,the Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby mandates the National Incident Management System be adopted and implemented by all City Departments,and utilized for all emergency incident management in the City of Ithaca,New York; and,be it further RESOLVED,the City of Ithaca will provide the resources necessary to fully implement this resolution; and,be it further RESOLVED,this resolution shall take effect immediately. Brian Wilbur and Guy VanBenschoten presented the Incident Command System and stressed its importance in allowing resources to be utilized more effectively. The resolution is a template from Homeland Security. Mayor Peterson has issued a directive to follow thru with ICS. City will provide necessary resources—including but not limited to:time,training thru web at normal work stations,class room teaching—delivered locally(some)up to ICS 300, or present training;total cost unknown at this time. Department Heads will determine who should be included to participate in the course curriculum. Once feedback is received by the Mayor,cost will be available. Major cost will come for persons working overtime to complete appropriate training. Other municipalities are invited to participate in ICS training. Wilbur confirmed that Town of Ithaca reimburses 1/3 of IFD costs. Motion Carried Unanimously. 7. Pedestrian Awareness Public Information/Relations Campaign IC Communications students presented a power point illustration of their work to date. They have researched other model campaigns in other cities and sought input from other committees and departments within the City. The presentation was entitled"Taking Steps to make Ithaca a Safer Place!" The idea is to educate residents and visitors of the City of Ithaca on pedestrian safety issues to promote pedestrian traffic. Final brochures and PSA are being worked on. The students will search out media coverage before they launch this project. They want to reach a majority of Ithacans to get the information out, including local events such as Ithaca Festival, Chili cook-off,etc. Gayraud recommended since the students can't be paid that their teacher give them all "A+"for their exceptional work. Robin expressed appreciation for the inclusion of snow removal information and extended a sincere thank you and job well done! 8. Resolution Requesting Ithaca City School District Cooperation To Reduce the Effects of Racism in Our Community.Campuses and Classrooms Moved by Clairborne, Seconded by Berry WHEREAS,many researchers contend that discrimination based on race, especially the belief that one race or culture is superior to another is one definition among many for the term "racism," and that it may be expressed individually as a group either consciously or subconsciously through explicit thoughts,feelings, or acts through places,organizations and or institutions;and WHEREAS,racism and other forms of systematic oppression are not inherent genetic characteristics and therefore just as they can be learned, they can be"un-learned; and WHEREAS, Common Council's Community and Neighborhood Services Committee invited a panel of teens of color from Lehman Alternative Community School and Ithaca High School to address the committee; and WHEREAS,the students offered a comprehensive overview on what it feels like to be students of color,how they often feel ignored,how they see themselves disciplined differently than their peers,how they are often the victims of racial profiling while shopping throughout our region, and how their issues are poorly covered in the local,regional,and national news media; and WHEREAS,students expressed serious concern on the decline in services and cuts to affirmative action programs,the lack of appropriate numbers of staff and faculty of color in the schools,the rise of racial slurs echoing throughout school hallways, feelings of not being informed clearly about Advanced Placement classes or being discouraged from attending prestigious colleges,and their growing concern about the differential treatment(often negative)they receive; and WHEREAS,teens and adults of color have called upon the Community and Neighborhood Services Committee, and by extension all of Common Council to take action and demand access and equity in treatment for them in their schools,throughout the community and its shopping districts,with school personnel, and throughout the County so that they might have more tangible,effective, and legal support in their fight against oppression;and WHEREAS,teens,parents, and leaders collectively urged the City of Ithaca Common Council to send a strong message that the City has zero tolerance for any and all forms of oppression and that we will stand united with young and older people of color to ask that all our businesses, schools,and organizations take a strong stand against any and all injustice and that we work hard to insist that our jury pools, classrooms,boardrooms,retail operations,and other key areas in our system reflect diversity; and WHEREAS,the Community and Neighborhood Services Committee also pledged to draft a resolution in support of these initiatives and share this resolution with the Ithaca City School District Board of Education during the public comment section of the meeting;now therefore be it RESOLVED,that this Common Council will continue to outline key steps that can help eradicate the ills of racism so that our City,and by extension our community of color can be afforded equal rights to dream,work,and play;and be it further RESOLVED,that Common Council request that Administrators, Officials, Teachers and Staff from the Ithaca City School District work both collaboratively with the City of Ithaca and individually to resolve the issues presented by the student panelists on school campuses and classrooms. Robin stated that the City should lobby the school district to address issues,acknowledge issues and provide solutions to the teens request for assistance and equality. Majority of Common Council attended March 14th school Board Meeting and spoke in regard to, among other things, maintaining Affirmative Action funding. Shane recommended that Common Council participate in the networking session with the school Board. Robin made a motion, in response to Michelle's request,to enter into executive session to discuss the resolution as it relates to a personnel matter. Seconded by Michelle. Carried Unanimously. The committee ended executive session and Robin stated that no action was taken. J.R.requested that the following be added as the final clause, seconded by Shane: WHEREAS,the majority of Common Council attended the Ithaca City School District Board of Education meeting of March 14,2006 to communicate to board members the sentiments expressed by the student panel held on March 8,2006 and request that the district Board of Education re-instate services and positions such as the Office of Affirmative Action,the assistant to the principal for Multicultural Affairs and others that directly benefit students of color and students from low-income homes. The amended resolution will be presented to the ICSD Board of Education on Tuesday,May 16th,2006. and the LACS Board. Amendment Carried Unanimously. Main Motion as Amended Carried Unanimously. 9. Reality Check— Emily presented information to stop cigarette companies from advertising and impacting our youth and teens to temptation. She agreed to research several questions that the committee presented and return in May with answers. Committee members will take the issue to the IDP and CAB for their input. Emily thanked the committee for support. 8. Creation of a Local Youth Council—Robin stated that a Youth Council in the City existed in the past and stated that one is certainly needed.A plan, guidelines, funding,mission, staff,resources, facilities, etc.must be determined to formulate such a program. Shane thanked Gayraud for bringing this issue to the table. Gayraud will coordinate the research,assisted by Michelle and J.R.,and provide updates to this committee. 9. Pedestrian Safety Initiative— Robin stated that the June meeting will include the reactivation of the Pedestrian Safety Committee to evaluate our efforts to date. 10. CDRC Common Council Networking Session—J.R. requested that issues currently affecting Common Council be brought out in facilitated discussion with CDRC. Robin agreed to contact the Mayor to request this occur in the near future to reduce unacceptable conflicts between council members. 11. Motion to adjourn at 9:25 pm by Robin, seconded by Michelle.