The Board of Directors hereby renames the Commission for Elderly
Services and People With Disabilities as the Commission on Human Relations,
Elderly Services and People With Disabilities. The Commission on Human
Relations and its membership are dissolved. The purpose of the renamed
commission is to undertake the functions, duties and responsibilities
of the former Commission on Human Relations and continue to perform
the duties of the Commission for Elderly Services and People With
Disabilities.
The membership of the newly named commission, Commission on
Human Relations, Elderly Services and People With Disabilities shall
consist of the current membership of the Commission for Elderly Services
and People With Disabilities which has nine members who are appointed
by the Board of Directors and who serve without compensation. The
appointees serve staggered terms. All appointments to the Commission
shall be for terms of three years. In the event of the death or resignation
of any member of the Commission, a successor shall be appointed by
the Board of Directors to serve the unexpired portion of the term
for which such member had been appointed. The Board of Directors may
remove any member for cause and thereafter fill such a vacancy. In
addition to the nine regular members of the Commission, the Mayor
and the General Manager shall be ex officio members of the Commission.
The Commission on Human Relations, Elderly Services and People
With Disabilities shall select a Chairman from its members and may
organize itself in whatever manner it may determine to best carry
out its duties as set forth in this article.
The duties of the Commission on Human Relations, Elderly Services
and People With Disabilities shall be as follows:
A. To continuously study and analyze the needs of elderly residents
of the Town of Manchester and residents with disabilities in order
to maintain innovative approaches to their changing needs.
B. To apply for state and federal or other grants which would support
areas of need that are important to the elderly and those with disabilities.
C. To coordinate local agency programs, both public and private, which
provide services for the elderly and those with disabilities.
D. To foster understanding and respect for the elderly and those individuals
with disabilities.
E. To encourage participation of elderly residents and residents with
disabilities in all aspects of community life.
F. To assure that elderly residents and residents with disabilities
have equal access to Town resources, facilities, programs and development,
through consultation and participation in planning.
G. To assume the functions, duties and responsibilities of the former
Commission on Human Relations, including the following:
(1) Assuring the equal protection of the laws and the full rights and
privileges of all citizens;
(2) Promoting full equality of opportunity in the total economic, educational,
political and cultural life of the community;
(3) Promoting improved communication, understanding and cooperation between
all racial, ethnic, religious, age and sex groups in the community;
(4) Ensuring equal employment opportunities in all levels of Town government
and equal services by the Town to all citizens;
(5) 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;
(6) 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;
(7) To study the field of human relations generally and to determine
principles and practices which might be applied within the Town;
(8) To study such human relations problems coming within its function
that may be referred to it by the Board of Directors or General Manager
or brought to its attention by Commission members, individual citizens
and community organizations;
(9) To seek voluntary compliance with state and federal laws relating
to civil rights;
(10) To receive complaints of unlawful discrimination and unequal treatment
and to refer such matters to the proper agency having jurisdiction
in those matters;
(11) 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, Elderly Services and People
With Disabilities shall have available to it the services of all other
Town departments and agencies for the assistance of the Commission
in the discharge of its duties.
The Commission on Human Relations, Elderly Services and Persons
With Disabilities shall submit a report of its activities to the Board
of Directors annually on or before the first Tuesday after the first
Monday of January.