City, citizens ready to work together for residents' rights

Jun. 30—OTTUMWA — Himar Hernandez believed the conversation was productive and groundwork was laid to begin the process for Ottumwa residents.

"I think we had to build some trust, and that was established," he said. "There was no hesitation."

Now, it will be up to advocates and the city council and staff to come together on the next steps.

The city and representatives from various groups met in a special meeting Tuesday at City Hall to discuss what path should be taken to address the human rights and civil rights of residents. It was the culmination of eight months of discussions, and facilitated by Monica Stone, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights' Community Advocacy and Services Division.

Basic themes emerged during the meeting: the city wants input from its diverse citizens, the citizens want leadership from the city and both think a sound relationship at the state level is essential.

"There has to be a relationship to make this happen," said Hernandez, who oversees diversity for the Wapello County branch of Iowa State University Extension. "We all agree it has to be sustainable for everyone. We have this great campaign of 'One Ottumwa,' but that doesn't mean we all have access to housing or food at the same level."

Stone presented three different services the state office offers — a human rights commission, which focuses on educating, informing and is service-focused; a civil rights commission, which is law-enforcement focused and deals with housing, education, etc., and a hybrid of the two.

Ottumwa, by law, is not obligated to have any of them because of its population, but there was a consensus among council members and staff for the city to put together a framework for the hybrid model.

"A hybrid is usually what cities less than 29,000 do. They usually start in one place, then move along a continuum that's planned and intentional," Stone told the council. "It starts with a system change, then expands into civil rights and the law enforcement side of things, and then into other areas like economic development. Many states only offer the law enforcement system, but it's nice that in Iowa, we can take advantage of both."

Stone recommended evaluations after six months, one year, five years and 10 years, though that could be adjusted. The critical piece, she said, is the first six months, because that timetable dictates the rest of the timeline and whether it can be moved up or pushed back.

The human rights phase would provide advocacy to minority populations by helping them with access to government services and eliminating other barriers, and mediation between the local and state levels. The civil rights aspect works to end discrimination by enforcing state and federal laws that prohibit it. The state civil rights commission also offers training and resources to enforce those laws.

Councilman Marc Roe was curious how a hybrid model would be paid for, whether the funds are written into the city budget or through grant funding.

"Those are the big two. Certainly, there are grants for this kind of work, and those opportunities have increased," Stone said. "Many cities do budget staff, or other resources to human rights education. Some partner with other governmental entities in the area, such as a school."

Mayor Tom Lazio said developing robust partnerships with entities such as the schools, county, Indian Hills Community College, mental health partners and others, would not only create a strong structure but also make it more sustainable over a long period of time.

He also advocated for more youth getting involved in the process, which he says goes beyond City Hall.

"I think maybe we need to look at this as a community project rather than a city project," he said. "I just think there's some things that could be gained, and we might be able to sure some of the costs and expenses and personnel."

The council members expressed an eagerness to get started, and the importance of the sustainability of a hybrid commission. Ottumwa had a commission years ago, but a variety of factors — funding, red tape and lack of volunteers to drive the process — allowed it to fade away.

"The faces you see up here can change pretty dramatically," councilman Matt Dalbey said. "So it's definitely a critical piece as far as getting people to vote, getting the education piece out in the community. I think it's important for all of our ethnic groups who are under-represented to bring their perspective so they are represented.

"What we get out of this commission will live or die at this bench," he said. "We certainly need to get started, but we need to do it the right way. I think there is a mixture of things we can do, and I'm actually really looking forward to this, and moving forward and start achieving what we should be doing."

Hernandez said a strong model could also prevent an exodus of young people from the community.

"We want families to be successful instead of feeling held down," he said. "There has to be upward mobility, and opportunities for people who weren't born here. Those are barriers we need to get over."

No action was directly taken, but more discussions and information from the state would be provided to the city.

— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury