Tompkins County committee recommends outreach-first path after debate over Office of Human Rights

The Tompkins County Health & Human Services committee on Dec. 15 recommended a temporary, outreach-focused staffing approach for the county Office of Human Rights and asked the full legislature to decide the office’s longer-term structure.

The committee adopted what members called “option B”: hire an outreach and education coordinator to staff community-facing hours, support local partners and the Human Rights Commission, and evaluate the arrangement over about a year before deciding whether to fill the chartered director role or change the charter. Committee chair Travis Brooks said the recommendation was intended to give the county “time to evaluate what’s happening, make a determination of what we wanted to do” and to avoid hiring a director before the body agreed on the office’s mission.

The vote followed public comment from commission leaders who urged restoring in-person office hours and staffing. Pei Sayinka Aroale, identified in public comment as chair of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission, said the committee’s recent action at the HHS meeting had “essentially gutting the Office of Human Rights” and asked the legislature to “rethink and reverse this decision.” Arol[e] and other commissioners told legislators that the office’s physical presence and direct help for residents — not just formal state complaints — is the primary value of the local office.

Administration and committee members described practical constraints that motivated the recommendation. The committee said the previous director had retired, the position had been posted prematurely, and staff and commissioners needed a clearer operational blueprint before recruiting a permanent director with a chartered, investigative role. County administration agreed to bring a resolution to the full legislature laying out option B for debate and vote.

Legislators who spoke in the full-body discussion emphasized process and public notice. Several members said that committee discussion and the HHS recommendation should be presented to the entire legislature, with public notice and an opportunity for public comment, before any final hiring or charter change. Others urged that any new hire be given the resources and clear responsibilities needed to serve the community.

The committee’s recommendation does not immediately create a permanent director post or reassign chartered duties; it directs administration to prepare a resolution and materials for the full legislature to consider, including details on staffing level, office location and budget. The legislature signaled it expects the item to return for full deliberation early in the next session.