Subject:
Title
Ordinance amending Chapter 94, Article III of the County Code relating to an Affirmative Action Plan.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Following a public hearing, adopt the proposed ordinance amending Chapter 94, Article III of the Pinellas County Code relating to an Affirmative Action Plan, to change the name of the Affirmative Action Committee, to revise the membership of the same, and to make other technical changes.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.1 Maximize partner relationships and public outreach
Summary:
The proposed ordinance will amend Chapter 94, Article III as follows:
Add sexual orientation and gender (including gender expression and gender identity) as protected groups, or classes of persons, protected from discrimination;
Rename the “Affirmative Action Committee” as the “Human Rights Board,” to correlate with its oversight responsibilities of the Human Rights Director and Office of Human Rights;
Remove the Sheriff as a member of the “Human Rights Board” to recognize the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office no longer has a relationship to the Unified Personnel System;
Formally recognize the name of the Office of Human Rights; and
Change references to two of the members of the Board (the Director of Human Resources and the Chief Information Officer) to reflect their current titles.
Background Information:
Pinellas County’s Affirmative Action Committee was created by ordinance in 1977, and has been codified as Chapter 94, Article III, of the Pinellas County Code. Since then, events have transpired which warrant revisions to Chapter 94, Article III, the most important being:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office departure from the Unified Personnel System;
Partial dissolution and release of Pinellas County from a consent agreement with the United States Department of Justice regarding hiring practices; and
Inclusion of additional groups, or classes of persons, protected from discrimination under county codes.
The Board of County Commissioners authorized the public hearing at its June 7, 2016 meeting.
Fiscal Impact:
The proposed amendments to Chapter 94, Article III of the Pinellas County Code have no cost or revenue impact.
Staff Member Responsible:
Paul Valenti, Director, Office of Human Rights
Dr. Ricardo Davis, Chairman, Affirmative Action Committee
Partners:
Unified Personnel System appointing authorities.
Attachments:
Memo
Ordinance