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Tompkins County staff propose revitalizing Office of Human Rights, expand intake and mediation services
Summary
County staff and Human Rights Commission members presented a plan to strengthen the Office of Human Rights — adding staff, modernizing intake, clarifying the commission's role, and integrating mediation and restorative practices — and asked the legislature to support staffing and a revised job description rather than take immediate formal action.
A county staff member presented a restructuring plan on June 18 to revitalize Tompkins County's Office of Human Rights and better coordinate it with the Human Rights Commission and other local services.
The presenter told the Health and Human Services Committee the office currently operates with a single administrative support staffer and that commissioners and volunteers have been filling gaps, taking on casework and outreach normally performed by paid staff. "We only have one staff in the office who's an administrative support," the presenter said, describing missing follow-up documentation, repeated contacts from distressed residents and a backlog of inquiries.
The proposal called for clarifying the office's mandate, updating the director's job description, hiring dedicated staff, modernizing complaint intake and tracking, and integrating mediation and restorative justice functions with the Community Justice Center and the Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC).
Why it matters: presenters and commissioners told lawmakers that residents have sought help for employment disputes, housing discrimination,…
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