HomeMy Public PortalAbout2024-02-16 Minutes REVISEDMinutes of Meeting
Commission on Human Relations
Friday, February 16, 2024
ATTENDEES:
Commission members present in-person:
Kimberley Woodruff; JoDe Layton-Brinker; Jane Barnes; Frank Rycyk; Jamie Howard
Commission members present virtually:
Donna Cavitte; Divya Arulsamy
Others present:
Councilmember Mike Lester; Gail Strope – city staff; Shiela Pearre – city staff; Stephi Smith, Jefferson
City News Tribune reporter; Knox Layton-Brinker
Commission Business:
The meeting came to order at 9:06 a.m. by Kimberley Woodruff.
Introductions of attendees were made.
Appointment of Officers: A motion to appoint Jane Barnes as Secretary/Treasurer, JoDe Layton-Brinker
as Vice Chair, and Kim Woodruff as Chair of the Commission was made by Frank Rycyk and seconded by
Jamie Howard. The motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Minutes: The November 17, 2023 minutes were reviewed. A motion to approve the
minutes was made by Donna Cavitte and seconded by Frank Rycyk. The motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Development Moment: Kim Woodruff encouraged the commissioners to develop, learn
from each other, and teach one another. She also spoke about the commissions renewed commitment
to the community and the importance of “if you sign up, show up”. The commission assigned the next
three months of commissioner development moments as follows: March – Jamie Howard, April –
Donna Cavitte, May – Kim Woodruff intends to invite a guest for mental health month.
How to Re-introduce the Human Relations Commission to the Community: Kim Woodruff asked for
suggestions on how to accomplish re-introduction. The following ideas were presented: Jamie Howard
proposed a video series in cooperation with the City; JoDe proposed setting up a booth at scheduled
community events; Frank Rycyk proposed the commission speaking during some scheduled Sunday
morning programs; Mike Lester proposed a presentation to City Council; Divya Arulsamy proposed
getting the Facebook page updated and restarted. Divya Arulsamy volunteered to take on the Facebook
page and Kim Woodruff requested the commission come to the next meeting with ideas for the page.
Speaker Series Event Topics: Jane Barnes and JoDe Layton-Brinker will be responsible for the first
Speaker Series event. The topic will be Substance Use Disorder and the intended location is the Missouri
River Regional Library. Kim Woodruff requested that Jane Barnes and JoDe Layton-Brinker come to the
next meeting with 2 or 3 date options, as well as the basic format (timeframe/who the speaker will
be/etc.).
New Business: Information about various scheduled community events was provided by the
commissioners.
Public Comment: none.
Next Meeting: Scheduled for March 15, 2024
Adjournment: Prior to adjournment, Kim Woodruff thanked Gail Strope for her dedication to the
commission, as well as the City, and congratulated her on her retirement. A motion to adjourn was
made by Kim Woodruff and seconded by Jane Barnes. The meeting adjourned at 10:05.
As recorded by:
Shiela Pearre, Staff Liaison