Baltimore County administrator orders legal review of Human Relations Commission, vows training and limited budget support

DeAndrea Walker, Baltimore County's county administrative officer, told the Human Relations Commission on the evening of the meeting that she has asked the county's Office of Law to review the commission's founding bill and bylaws, which date to 1963, after finding inconsistent articles and missing institutional records. Walker said the review will determine whether the commission has the legal framework and support to exercise powers such as holding public hearings, issuing subpoenas or imposing sanctions.

Walker said staff turnover over the past year left gaps in institutional memory. "When Ramona left and Savitra left, there's no documents," she said, noting minutes, bylaws and the commission handbook are incomplete or missing. To protect both the commission and the county, Walker said the Office of Law will analyze Articles 3, 11 and 29 and the bill that created the…