Civil Rights Commission — Davenport, IA
Date: 2025-10-14
Time: 12:00

CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING

 CITY OF DAVENPORT, IOWA

 Tuesday, October 14, 2025; 12:00 PM

 Virtual Via Zoom:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84869608008?pwd=MUhuMUNSUnp4WlZndk9tbXZiMlY1UT09
I. Roll Call

 A. Virtual Via Zoom:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84869608008?pwd=MUhuMUNSUnp4WlZndk9tbXZiMlY1UT09

II. Approval of Agenda

III. Approval of Minutes

 A. Special Meeting Minutes

 B. September 2025 Minutes

IV. Director's Report

 A. September 2025 Director's Report

 B. September 2025 Case Status Report

V. New Business

 A. Commission Positions - Union

VI. Old Business

VII. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(f)

 A. ED-0118-0002-15

VIII. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(c)

IX. Public Comment and Presentation

X. Adjourn

XI. Next Meeting

CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING

 CITY OF DAVENPORT, IOWA

 Tuesday, October 14, 2025; 12:00 PM

 Virtual Via Zoom:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84869608008?pwd=MUhuMUNSUnp4WlZndk9tbXZiMlY1UT09
I. Roll Call

 A. Virtual Via Zoom:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84869608008?pwd=MUhuMUNSUnp4WlZndk9tbXZiMlY1UT09

II. Approval of Agenda

III. Approval of Minutes

 A. Special Meeting Minutes

 B. September 2025 Minutes

IV. Director's Report

 A. September 2025 Director's Report

 B. September 2025 Case Status Report

V. New Business

 A. Commission Positions - Union

VI. Old Business

VII. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(f)

 A. ED-0118-0002-15

VIII. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(c)

IX. Public Comment and Presentation

X. Adjourn

XI. Next Meeting
 City of Davenport
 Civil Rights Commission
Department: Civil Rights Action / Date
Contact Info: | 10/14/2025
Subject:
Special Meeting Minutes

Attachments:
None
 City of Davenport
 Civil Rights Commission
Department: Civil Rights Action / Date
Contact Info: | 10/14/2025
Subject:
September 2025 Minutes

Attachments:
None
 City of Davenport
 Civil Rights Commission
Department: Civil Rights Action / Date
Contact Info: | 10/14/2025
Subject:
September 2025 Director's Report

Attachments:
1. September 2025
DIRECTOR’S REPORT FOR THE DAVENPORT CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION FOR
 September 2025

I. CASE STATUS
 1. No “right to sue” letters were issued in the month of September.
 2. No cases settled in mediation or conciliation in the month of September.
II. OTHER ACTIVITY
 1. The Director completed case processing documentation.
 2. The Director continues to await a substantive response regarding the implementation of
 the salaries for the agency’s investigation-related positions. In the interim, the Director
 has conducted additional analysis to better understand the Commission’s position and
 any potential limitations that may arise from actions taken by city staff. At this time, the
 Director has not received documentation indicating that city staff were authorized to
 negotiate on behalf of the Commission. The City Attorney states that the previously
 existing positions were in the union going back to the 1980s. However, that origin
 predates the City Council’s 2005 amendment to Ordinance §2.58.050(A), which
 expressly delineated the Commission’s authority over staff. Following that amendment,
 city staff were obligated to align their actions and practices with the amended ordinance
 by recognizing and implementing the Commission’s authority in all personnel matters
 within its jurisdiction.
 3. The City’s Department of Human Resources is “responsible for the recruitment, testing
 and placement of new employees, for administration of compensation and bene t plans,
 for employee training and development, for the negotiation of contracts with employee
 unions and for resolution of appeals and grievances.” under § 2.50.020. The Director of
 Human Resources is obligated to provide staff services to boards and commissions, and
 this obligation necessarily includes carrying out the Commission’s lawful directives and
 decisions within its authority.
 4. Despite repeated requests, the Director has not received documentation con rming that
 city staff were authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Commission, either before or after
 the 2005 amendment. To date, no follow-up has been provided regarding the
 implementation of potential legal remedies or recommendations, and there is no
 indication that the City Attorney has consulted with the union to determine its position on
 this matter. The City Attorney has stated that the City is the public employer for all
 unionized positions, including those assigned to the Commission. Despite that position,
 he has sought Commission direction on whether those positions should be removed from
 the union, an issue that properly lies within the City Council’s jurisdiction as the public
 employer, thereby shifting responsibility contrary to the structure established by
 ordinance. The Director has consulted with independent outside counsel to advise the
 Commission on this matter, as the city and the Commission hold differing legal
 interpretations of the relevant provisions.
 5. The Director attended the HUD FHAP meeting where we discussed new FHAP
 procedures and program requirements.
 6. The Director continues to await completion of Commission approved items following the
 passage of the Council’s resolution at the July 23, 2025 City Council meeting.
 7. The Director received an update on the property proposed for the of ce relocation,
 however we continue to await updates on next steps.




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 8. The Director has yet to receive responsive information from the now-former City
 Administrator regarding the information from Finance relating to the HUD funding,
 where we were noti ed that Finance would no longer do the Finance-related certi cation
 for our HUD contract, despite controlling the funding and the lack of response from
 Human Resources, the delays in processing personnel actions by Finance and Human
 Resources, the unilateral removal of the Civil Rights Investigator job posting from
 Human Resources. There is still no resolution of the internal complaint regarding the
 interception of the Commission’s con dential mail, submitted on December 20, 2023.
 9. The Director continues to monitor COVID-191 rates and its impact on of ce functions.
 10. The Director worked on case resolution documents.
 11. The Director worked on litigation.
 12. The Director began reviewing applications for the Civil Rights Specialist position and
 submitted pre-recruitments for the Civil Rights Investigator positions.
 13. The Director continues to work on the development of training and professional
 development opportunities related to the staf ng realignment related to the forced
 departure of the Asst. Director/Housing Programs Manager.
 14. Housing Analyst worked on housing investigations.
 15. Housing Analyst worked on housing inquiries.
 16. Housing Analyst worked on case resolutions.
 III. OLD BUSINESS
 1. Ongoing discrimination, harassment and bullying of Commission staff.
 1. Retaliatory actions against Commission staff and further examples of different
 treatment.
 2. Legal Department refusal to accept Commission referral.
 3. Use of racial slurs in City Hall. City’s failure to initiate complaint investigation.
 4. Investigation of hostile working environment, still no ndings over a year after the
 initiation of the investigation.
 5. Continued refusal to process vacation correction, despite receiving their legal opinion
 which clearly indicates that the Commission’s procedure for processing the correction
 was appropriate and the subsequent resolution directing the reversal of any decisions
 infringing on the Commission’s decision making authority.
 6. Constructive discharge of Commission employees.
 7. Staf ng Concerns - Investigation position postings and salary.
 8. The Commission continues to face delays and obstructive actions by City Administration
 that have hindered resolution of matters previously presented to the City Council. These
 actions appear to be intended to undermine the Commission’s mission and re ect
 ongoing retaliation and retaliatory harassment in response to substantiated complaints of
 discrimination and harassment.
 9. Salary Update Procedure - The Director received an email on September 4, 2025
 indicating that it is the City Attorney’s position that the Commission employees are city
 employees for the purposes of bargaining.
 10. Of ce Relocation - The Director has conducted a preliminary accessibility audit of the
 property, there appears to be suf cient room for the Commission and it appears to be able
 to be updated within the budget set for the of ce remodel. The city submitted a copy of

 1 Also, measles, influenza and RSV.




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 the preliminary report of the property, which appears to highlight the same issue included
 within the preliminary accessibility audit submitted by the Commission.
 11. Council Resolution - The resolution was passed July 23, 2025 however past actions have
 not ben corrected.

IV. NEW BUSINESS
 1. Commission salary updates and hiring blocked by the City Attorney citing the city’s
 union agreement, even for positions not in the city’s union.
 City of Davenport
 Civil Rights Commission
Department: Civil Rights Action / Date
Contact Info: | 10/14/2025
Subject:
September 2025 Case Status Report

Attachments:
None
 City of Davenport
 Civil Rights Commission
Department: Civil Rights Action / Date
Contact Info: | 10/14/2025
Subject:
Commission Positions - Union

Attachments:
None