Human Rights Commission first asked for a copy of Quincy's plan in 2003 and discovered the city didn't have one
By EDWARD HUSAR
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
The Quincy Human Rights Commission is urging the city to complete a long-sought affirmative action plan.
In its annual report to the City Council, the commission recommends the city make this a priority and set a goal of completing the plan within the next six months.
The commission, established in 2000, has been pushing the city to develop an affirmative action plan for nearly five years. But progress has been "very slow," said Claire Safford, who recently stepped down as the commission's chairman after serving in that role for three years.
"An affirmative action plan basically looks at where you are regarding the hiring of women and minorities and the pay scales, then it sets goals to try to bring those more in line with the population and the available employee pool," Safford said.
Creating an affirmative action plan continues to be a priority for the commission, which first requested a copy of the city's affirmative action plan in September 2003 "and discovered that such a plan did not exist," the report says.
After repeated annual prodding from the commission, the city's Human Resources Department finally supplied the commission with a newly drafted plan in December 2006.
However, the commission had some concerns with the proposed plan and has been working with city officials ever since to strengthen it. A draft of the revised plan is reportedly nearing completion and is to be discussed with the commission in coming weeks, Safford said.
The commission's annual report noted that "little positive change" has been made in the percentage of women and minorities working in city government relative to the general population.
A disproportionate percentage of white males still hold most leadership and employment positions in city government. The report said only 21.9 percent of the city's 370 employees were women as of April 28 while 78.1 percent were men. The 2000 U.S. Census said Quincy's population was 53.1 percent female and 46.9 percent male.
Likewise, the report said only 2.7 percent of the city's work force was comprised of blacks and 0.3 percent were "other" racial groups while Census figures show Quincy's 2000 population was 4.7 percent black and 2.9 percent "other" minorities.
The report also noted woman and minorities were not well represented on most committees and commissions or elected and appointed posts.
The report recommends the city take the lead in urging greater participation in elected and appointed offices by women and racial minorities; review its hiring practices with a goal of reflecting the community's makeup in all job categories; and actively recruit and promote women and minorities for administrative and professional jobs.
The report noted significant progress has been made with the commission-sponsored "Many Voices, One Goal" study circles program. Since being launched in 2006, these small-group discussions -- lasting six weeks -- have given dozens of participants a chance to express concerns and share ideas on race-related issues.
"That's a very positive thing," Safford said. "The participation of people from the community in the circles has been really outstanding."
A series of projects have been launched in the community thanks to the initiative of study circle participants yearning to make some improvements. For example, one initiative resulted in the development of an African-American cultural festival, which was held last fall on Maine Street. A second festival is planned for Sept. 6.
The report was critical of Quincy Township's general assistance office for reducing general assistance grants to local residents by nearly 40 percent in recent years "at a time when there is a perceived increase in need in the community." The commission also criticized the office for "the complexity and length" of a four-page general assistance application form.
Quincy Township Supervisor Steve Schrage responded this week by saying the amount of general assistance in the fiscal year that ended March 2005 totaled roughly $133,000 -- a figure probably higher than usual because some extra aid was given to help several families facing uncommonly high medical bills.
He said the assistance total dropped to $102,000 in the year ending March 2006 before rebounding to $105,469 the following year and $119,685 this past year. "It's heading back up," he said.
Schrage said the general assistance application form is the same one used in all 23 Adams County townships and most townships in Illinois.
Also in its annual report, the commission described various human rights situations it investigated after hearing complaints from residents.
"There's a wide scope of situations that we handle during the course of the year, and it's not just on racial issues but on handicap and gender and other issues," Safford said. "We deal with it quietly and behind the scenes to try to reach resolution."
-- ehusar@whig.com/221-3378
