The Bismarck Human Relations Committee used part of its meeting to plan upcoming community conversations and public events, and to review a small events budget and giveaway supplies.

Schedule and topics: members agreed to target a community conversation about homelessness in October (committee asked members to check calendars for a Thursday date) and discussed aligning future forums with related community events to boost attendance. The committee said it will reconvene planning subcommittees and pick final dates at a future meeting.

Events staffing and logistics: volunteers from the committee staffed Pride and discussed canopy setup, recommending at least two volunteers at the start and two at the end of the shift for setup and takedown. The committee paid a sponsorship fee for Juneteenth and planned volunteers to staff the booth; Juneteenth was described as June 28 from 4 to 9 p.m. The committee also discussed the Buddy Walk (noted in meeting as occurring on a date spoken as the “20 seventh,” with event hours cited as 10 a.m.–12 p.m.); members were asked to consider volunteering for early setup (as early as 8 a.m.) and packet assembly.

Outreach and media: the committee runs a local podcast and listed upcoming guests (including Megan Dooley and a representative from an events center) and said the show has been drawing higher listener numbers. Members also discussed partnering opportunities with community groups such as Global Neighbors and local ethnic/cultural expos.

Budget and swag: the committee reviewed its events budget and current supplies. Members reported a $5,000 annual budget and said expenditures to date totaled approximately $13.19. They identified a need to reorder notebooks (100 were ordered on a prior occasion), more shirts (a suggested minimum re‑order of 20 across sizes), and additional stickers; smaller items such as lifesaver candies and pens remain in stock. Members discussed past practice for ordering and asked staff (Whitney) to procure agreed items and to present an updated budget‑vs‑actual summary.

Volunteer subcommittees and next steps: committee members confirmed two ongoing subcommittees — volunteers and community conversations — and asked staff to circulate contact information and timelines. The group also asked for a follow‑up on downtown event scheduling from a downtown events contact and agreed to revisit sponsorship or donation requests when invoices or formal requests are received.