Commission approves bimonthly schedule and debates subcommittee work under state open-meetings changes

The Lawrence Human Relations Commission voted to approve a regular meeting schedule of every two months on the third Monday at 6 p.m., effective June, after discussing room availability and member schedules. Commissioners also reviewed a staff resource guide that outlines suggested commission actions and the legal authority or limits for each suggested activity.

A large portion of the meeting addressed whether the commission can form subcommittees to expedite outreach and presentations. Staff noted a recent change to state law affecting advisory-board subcommittees and said some jurisdictions have suspended subcommittee meetings while legal teams review compliance. Mohammed, a city staff member, told commissioners that subcommittees typically must follow public-notice and recordkeeping requirements similar to full advisory-board meetings, which would require posted notices, minutes and the capacity for public access.

Commissioners considered alternatives: operating as a committee of the whole, assigning homework between regularly scheduled meetings, or creating an agenda item at the next meeting to request City Commission approval for standing subcommittees. One commissioner suggested preapproving presentation materials and delegating authority so approved presentations could proceed faster; staff said that process would still require formal approval and might take months. The commission agreed to place a general agenda item at the next meeting to consider creating necessary subcommittees and discussed inviting local community organizations for outreach presentations.

Formal actions: commissioners approved the new bimonthly meeting schedule during the Aug. 18 meeting. They also agreed to place subcommittee-creation and presentation-procedure items on the next agenda for further action.