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, public accommodation claims, bullying and threats. Committee members said the county's credibility depends on whether the office can reliably receive and act on complaints.

Details and evidence: Pei (staff member), who assisted research for the plan, reviewed the caseload numbers the office assembled while operating with limited staff: about 20'to'2 employment-related inquiries, more than 30 housing inquiries, more than 20 public-accommodation matters, nearly 20 disability- or workplace-related contacts, and several school-bullying or racial-harassment matters. The presenters said volunteers and interns had been trained to assist with case research and intake but that the volume and sensitivity of cases—examples included a homeowner who reported being threatened with a gun—showed the need for a staffed, secure intake space.

The presentation also addressed legal authority. A staff member noted that while the office no longer has binding adjudicatory power that a state agency would have, Tompkins County's charter and the county's implementing language do permit the office to "inquire into incidents of tension and conflict" and to use conciliation, persuasion and conferencing to try to resolve disputes. "The power to make authoritative binding legal decisions in terms of investigation is what has been removed," the presenter said, adding that "the ability to look into matters has not been removed."

Commissioners and legislators asked how the commission's volunteer status fits with the proposed changes. Annie (liaison to the Human Rights Commission) and others stressed that commissioners are volunteer subject-matter experts and that converting commissioners to employees would undermine the independence New York State intended. Presenters proposed the office provide administrative support to the commission instead: "The office will be doing that administrative work by relying on the direct input and engagement from the commission," the presenter said.

Committee members requested clarifying documents before committing to a hiring decision. Several legislators suggested revising and using the job description to recruit a director and then asking candidates for their vision. One legislator said the legislature must understand fiscal impacts before a formal vote; presenters said initial steps did not require immediate legislative action but did ask for support to review and enhance the job description and to identify staff resources.

Next steps and limitations: presenters asked the committee to support the plan conceptually, update the director job description, and participate in selection and onboarding to align expectations. They said formal staffing decisions and any charter changes (the county charter contains provisions on the commission) would require subsequent legislative processes if needed. No formal vote on restructuring occurred at the meeting.

Community context and outlook: presenters pointed to other New York counties that had increased reporting and engagement after modernizing intake and outreach. The committee encouraged the office and commission members to prepare a short, practical clarifying memo that defines (1) what the Office of Human Rights can and cannot do under existing law; (2) the commission's volunteer responsibilities; and (3) proposed staff roles and a staffing timeline to use in budget deliberations.