Two years after a report blasted Moorhead’s civil rights record, the city is working to make changes recommended by its Human Rights Commission.

The City Council informally agreed Monday to appoint a three-person committee to create a plan to implement the recommendations of the commission’s report.

The committee, consisting of Human Rights Commission chairman Brian Arett, Fire Chief Marty Soeth and Councilman Greg Lemke, will meet over the next month to decide which recommendations fall under the
council’s jurisdiction and prioritize those that can be done quickly, said City Manager Bruce Messelt.

The report consists of five sets of recommendations to improve human rights in Moorhead.

The recommendations are the commission’s response to reports from the grass-roots Justice Circle group and a report to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released two years ago.

In the reports, the commission asks for a human rights staff person; hiring more minorities in the police force, local governments and schools; and diversity and racism training for city, county and school workers and
officials.

Council members agreed that after so much talk about civil rights in the city, it was time to act.

“We need to get to work on this – roll up our sleeves and work on this,” Lemke said.

Some of the recommendations will not fall under the city’s authority. Moorhead School District, Clay County and the state will need to be involved in some of the changes, Messelt said.

But the city needs to get started on its portion as soon as it can, Arett said.

“I think it’s important for the people in the city to hear that the city is serious about doing some of these things,” he said.

Along with acting on the recommendations, Councilman Jim Danielson called for an exploration of Mayor Mark Voxland’s idea of a regional human rights commission, including the Fargo-Moorhead metro area and
possibly Cass and Clay counties.

“I just don’t see any of these problems changing, appearing, disappearing just because you cross the border,” he said.

The council also agreed informally to form three other new committees, to study the possibility of removing the toll from the 15th Avenue North bridge, how best to protect Clay County’s Buffalo River aquifer, and the
possibility of constructing new public housing buildings.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Joy Anderson at (701) 241-5556