Another public hearing for Human Relations Committee on Monday night

LACONIA — City councilors will hold a public hearing on suggested changes to the ordinance over the Human Relations Committee during their meeting on Monday night.

During previous discussions regarding the subcommittee in meetings of the Laconia City Council, councilors referred the matter to their subcommittee on government operations and ordinances, with the primary goal of writing a purpose statement for the Human Relations Committee.  

Through discussions at a meeting of the government operations and ordinances subcommittee on March 4, committee members reviewed the ordinance governing the Human Relations Committee, and made suggestions to align a purpose statement with the language of the ordinance. 

The recommended changes must be approved by the council. Those changes include: reducing the number of members of the human relations committee from 13 to seven; those seven members will be made up of six council appointments and one mayor’s appointment; the mayor’s appointment will sit on the committee for two years, aligning with their term in office; the first appointments will be two, one-year terms, two, two-year terms and two, three-year terms; and terms will expire coinciding with the members’ initial date of appointment. 

At their meeting on March 9, councilors scheduled a public hearing on those proposed changes to the ordinance, for the meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 23, at City Hall downtown.

The purpose statement, which has been reviewed by city legal counsel, is a separate agenda item for council consideration on Monday night. 

The proposed purpose statement for the committee reads: “The purpose of the Human Relations Committee is to organize and support ongoing community events, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Holocaust Remembrance event called Kristallnacht, also known as the Night of Broken Glass. The committee also participates in Laconia’s Multicultural Festival and may undertake additional projects as approved by a majority vote of the City Council.”

According to its powers, duties and responsibilities, the committee shall work under the direction of the city manager, or their designee, in planning and executing city-sponsored events. They may establish subcommittees of their own, with the approval of the city council. 

Appropriated funds, including grants and donations, shall be expended only for events or activities approved by council. The committee would not be permitted to speak on behalf of the city, or present any content, without city council approval. If time does not allow for prior approval from the council, the city manager can authorize speech and content. 

On Monday, councilors will also hear a request to renew the Robert A. Hamel Community Service Recognition Award committee.  

In September 2024, councilors created a Community Service Recognition Award committee and, by unanimous vote, the committee was named for the late Robert A. Hamel, a former councilor, for his record of service to the city. The committee is to be appointed annually by the mayor and council. The award is to be presented in June. 

Last year, the committee bestowed the award upon David Stamps and Debbie Frawley Drake.