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Committee moves to create education and outreach coordinator for the Office of Human Rights, leaves director posting suspended
Summary
After reviewing options for the Office of Human Rights, Tompkins County’s Human Services Committee directed county administration to draft a motion to create an education and outreach coordinator position (option B), suspend the director recruitment, and pursue hiring after legislative approval and budget funding in 2026.
Tompkins County’s Human Services Committee agreed Dec. 15 to pursue creating an education and outreach coordinator for the Office of Human Rights rather than immediately restoring the chartered director position.
The chair summarized options from a memo circulated by County Administrator Corso, who presented several models: restoring the chartered director; creating an education and outreach coordinator instead of a director; maintaining intake and referral functions with a stronger volunteer commission; or strengthening partnerships and legal referrals to external agencies. Corso said the director is a chartered position, so eliminating or permanently changing it would require a charter amendment. He also said recruitment for the director role had been suspended after six applicants were notified while the committee considered options.
Members debated whether to hire a director to assess needs or set clearer expectations before posting. Several legislators said a director could help rebuild the office but would need authority and the right skill set. Others favored starting with a smaller, community-facing coordinator role focused on education, outreach and intake, and colocating staffing with county administration or community sites (library meeting rooms, the Old Jail conference room) to preserve a public front door without paying downtown lease costs.
The committee voted informally by consensus to pursue option B, with amended language to “create” an education and outreach coordinator (rather than convert the chartered director position) and asked County Administrator Corso to draft a resolution for the full legislature. Corso said the coordinator position exists as an unfunded classification in the county system and would need formal legislative creation and funding in the 2026 budget before advertising and hiring. The county will leave the director posting suspended pending that process.
Committee members stressed the need for community input and closer collaboration with the volunteer Human Rights Commission and with partner agencies (legal-aid and fair-housing organizations) that have historically handled investigations and more formal complaint work. Corso recommended a phased approach: initial intake and outreach capacity, a three-month reorganization to set priorities and lease/space decisions, formalized partnerships with legal-aid and fair-housing groups, and a 12-month assessment of impact and metrics to inform future charter or staffing changes.
Next steps: Corso will draft the motion and work with HR to prepare the position description and a resolution for the full legislature’s January agenda; hiring would follow only after legislative approval and budget allocation.
