City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 04
Chapter 04.10
Section 04.10.040
 

Title 04 Administrative Agencies and Procedures

Chapter 04.10 Human Rights Commission

Section 04.10.040 Duties and Functions

The commission has the power and duty to:

  1. adopt rules;
     
  2. hold regular public meetings and keep a written record of its proceedings which is a public record;
     
  3. serve as a complaint channel to which human rights grievances of all types can be reported;
     
  4. maintain statistical data on incidents of human rights violations and make appropriate recommendations for correction;
     
  5. conduct public hearings to receive citizen concerns about issues relating to human rights;
     
  6. conduct and arrange for surveys, studies, and polls to factually determine problem areas and perceptions;
     
  7. provide conflict management and dispute resolution services such as conciliation and mediation;
     
  8. provide and arrange for victim assistance and support groups;
     
  9. convene and develop work groups such as sub-committees, ad hoc committees, task forces, and coalitions consisting of concerned organizations, agencies, and individuals to achieve coordinated focus on priority problem areas;
     
  10. provide and develop community education projects such as conferences, forums, and workshops in collaboration and co-sponsorship with organizations and other agencies;
     
  11. conduct diversity training programs for public and private employers, citizen groups and agencies;
     
  12. create a speaker’s bureau to address cultural diversity issues;
  1. publish a periodic newsletter on current events and special reports on studies and related findings and recommendations;
  1. develop a mass media program consisting of the appropriate use of press releases, press conferences, public service announcements, and production;
     
  2. make recommendations for public policy relating to human rights;
  1. issue quarterly reports to the City Council concerning the number of complaints received by the City, the number and type of complaints referred to other entities by the name of the entity, the number of complaints dismissed by the City without either investigation or referral, the number of complaints referred by the City to mediation and the number and type of results of those mediations, the number of complaints referred to the City Prosecutor and the resulting outcomes, and any other actions which the City Council determines to be helpful, provided that in no event will such reports contain personally-identifying information; and
     
  2. issue an annual report to the mayor and city council on the health of human rights along with achievements for the past year and goals for the coming year; and
  1. provide guidance for the city’s anti-discrimination efforts without limitation, including  federal Title VI compliance efforts.

Date Passed: Monday, October 3, 2022

Effective Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2022

ORD C36280 Section 1