It being essential to the health, safety and welfare of the Town of Manchester and its inhabitants that differences in race, creed and national origin serve as sources of individual and community strength rather than as causes of discrimination, segregation and restricted opportunity, a Commission on Human Relations shall be and is hereby established.
[[1]Adopted 9-10-2024]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Art. VII, Advisory Board of Health, adopted 1-6-1998 (Secs. 2-208 to 2-211 of the 1996 Code), was repealed 9-10-2024.
[Amended 7-1-2025]
This Commission shall consist of nine members who shall be residents and electors of the Town of Manchester. They shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall serve without compensation. Of the nine members first appointed, three shall serve for a term of three years (one of whom shall be designated as the Chairperson of the Commission); three shall be appointed for a term of two years; and three shall be appointed for a term of one year. After the first term of three years, the Commission shall then elect its own Chairperson, and thereafter all appointments to the Commission shall be for a term of three years. In the event of the death, disability or resignation of any member of the Commission, the successor shall be appointed by the Board of Directors to serve the unexpired period of the term. There shall be an additional non-voting 10th member of the Commission who shall be designated annually by the Youth Commission each October first.
The functions, duties and responsibilities of the Commission shall be:
A.
Assuring the equal protection of the laws and the full rights and privileges of all citizens;
B.
Promoting full equality of opportunity in the total economic, educational, political and cultural life of the community;
C.
Promoting improved communication, understanding and cooperation between all racial, ethnic, religious, age and sex groups in the community;
D.
Ensuring equal employment opportunities in all levels of Town government and equal services by the Town to all citizens;
E.
To cooperate with federal, state and Town agencies in developing an educational program for presentation in public and private schools, public libraries and such other suitable places of assembly on techniques for achieving harmonious intergroup relations within the Town;
F.
To enlist the cooperation of various racial, religious and ethnic groups, community organizations, labor organizations, fraternal and benevolent associations and other groups in programs and campaigns devoted to eliminating the causes of the problems coming within the scope of the Commission's functions;
G.
To study the field of human relations generally and to determine principles and practices which might be applied within the Town;
H.
To study such human relations problems coming within its function that may be referred to it by the Board of Directors or Town Manager or brought to its attention by Commission members, individual citizens and community organizations;
I.
To seek voluntary compliance with state and federal laws relating to civil rights;
J.
To receive complaints of unlawful discrimination and unequal treatment and to refer such matters to the proper agency having jurisdiction in those matters; and
K.
To recommend to the Board of Directors such ordinances or programs as it may deem necessary to deal with these problems as they exist or to prevent such problems before they arise in the Town.
The Commission on Human Relations shall have available the services of other Town departments and agencies for the assistance of the Commission in its proper functions. Furthermore, the Commission shall be managed and its operation coordinated by the Town Manager or his or her designee. The Commission shall submit a report of its activities to the Board of Directors annually.