City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes - Final  
Commission on Human Rights  
Conference Room  
1A/1B  
Tuesday, October 1, 2024  
5:30 PM  
Regular  
Columbia City Hall  
701 E. Broadway  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
II. INTRODUCTIONS  
Chair Amanda Hinnant called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m.  
Present:  
Amanda Hinnant  
Liz Townsend Bird  
Penny Kuhns-Knarr  
Meera Sood  
Astrid Villamil  
Stephanie Yoakum  
Paige Lubbering  
Members of the Public:  
Gunjan Singh  
Latoya Jones  
Chriss Jones  
Excused:  
Liz Townsend Bird  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
Amanda Hinnant moved to approve the agenda. Stephanie Yoakum seconded the  
motion. The motion was unanimously approved.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Draft minutes from 09 03 2024  
Attachments: 09 September 03 HRC Meeting Minutes-Draft  
Amanda Hinnant motioned to approve the meeting minutes. Penny Kuhns-Knarr  
seconded the motion. Amanda Hinnant moved to amend meeting minutes to  
update that Paige Lubbering was not present during the meeting, Astrid Villamil  
seconded motion. The motion was unanimously approved.  
Approval of Closed Meeting Minutes 09 03 2024  
Amanda moved to approved the closed meeting minutes. Astrid Villamil  
seconded the motion. Paige Lubbering and Stephanie Yoakum abstained.  
4 - Hinnant, Sood, Villamil and Kuhns-Knarr  
1 - Townsend Bird  
Yes:  
Excused:  
Abstain:  
2 - Yoakum and Lubbering  
V. OLD BUSINESS  
Commissioners' revision to the Complaint Form  
Staff advised the Commissioners that the revisions have been reviewed by the Law  
Department. The Law Department indicated that they only had one change to the  
complaint form. Staff advised that they will work with IT and Creative Services to  
have the form updated online and through the PDF printable version.  
VI. NEW BUSINESS  
Guest Speaker – Jennifer Savage (The Food Bank for Central & Northeast  
Missouri)  
Penny Kuhns-Knarr mentioned that she got the dates mixed up and advised  
Jennifer Savage, with the Food Bank, that she can present during the next meeting.  
Staff mentioned that Becky Thompson, Neighborhood & Housing Services Director,  
will actually be the guest speaker for the November meeting. Penny Kuhns-Knarr  
mentioned that she will communicate with Jennifer Savage to see if she will be  
available to come speak with the Commission during the December meeting.  
Mid-MO Pride Fest Recap  
Astrid Villamil mentioned that the beginning of the Pride Fest event was slower  
because the parade was still going on when the Commission’s booth was set up.  
Astrid Villamil mentioned that the Pride Fest event allowed for greater visibility for  
the Commission on Human Rights which is a positive influence. Penny Kuhns-Knarr  
mentioned that there was more foot traffic for attendees on Saturday than Sunday,  
but Astrid Villamil indicated that 12 pm to 2 pm was pretty busy. Amanda Hinnant  
mentioned the difficulty in participating in the Pride Fest Parade because  
Commissioners wouldn’t be able to have deep conversation with the parade  
attendees.  
Columbia Values Diversity Breakfast  
The Commissioners mentioned wanting to wait until the next meeting to decide on  
the sponsorship level that they would provide for the breakfast. Commissioners  
requested that this be tabled until the next meeting in November.  
HREP Proposals  
The Commissioners mentioned that they would like to see if the teacher with  
Hickman High School would be willing to open up the event to the public to be able  
to attend. Staff will follow-up with the teacher and see if this can be a possibility as  
a part of the HREP request. Amanda Hinannt motioned to approve the request for  
$500.00 for the Hickman High School Tibetan Culture with Champa Lhunpo event.  
Stephanie Yoakum seconded the motion. The Motion unanimously approved.  
VII. REPORTS  
CPRB  
Stephanie Yoakum mentioned that she will renew her commitment to the CPRB as  
a representative for the Commission on Human Rights. There will be several new  
appointments since the current Commissioners terms will be ending.  
Other Reports  
No new reports at this time.  
VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
Gunjan Signh shared more about his background as a Human Rights advocate in  
India and expressed that he would gladly be available to support the Commission  
on Human Rights if the need is there. Stephanie Yoakum `mentioned supporting  
Mid-Missouri Legal Services as a way to support low income residents with legal  
services pro-bono. Chriss Jones mentioned that there are several applicants that  
have been told that Housing Providers are not accepting Section 8 Housing  
Vouchers. Chriss Jones mentioned that she will advise residents that she runs into  
to fill out the Human Rights Commission Compliant form and have them complete  
the paper version of the form and summit back to the City.  
IX. MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION  
Meera Sood moved to go into closed session at 6:15 p.m. Stephanie Yoakum  
seconded the motion.  
Amanda Hinannt moved to come out of closed session at 7:19 p.m. Meera Sood  
seconded the motion.  
6 - Hinnant, Sood, Villamil, Yoakum, Lubbering and Kuhns-Knarr  
1 - Townsend Bird  
Yes:  
Excused:  
X. NEXT MEETING DATE  
Next meeting November 6, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.  
XI. ADJOURNMENT  
Amanda Hinnant motioned to adjourn at 7:20 p.m. Meera Sood seconded the  
motion. The motion unanimously passed.  
Members of the public may attend any open meeting. For requests for accommodations related to  
disability, please call 573-874-CITY (573-874-2489) or email CITY@CoMo.gov. In order to assist staff in  
making the appropriate arrangements for your accommodation, please make your request as far in  
advance of the posted meeting date as possible.  
USB DRIVES PROHIBITED: Due to cybersecurity concerns, flash drives and other media devices  
are no longer permitted for delivering files or presentation materials. A speaker who desires to  
display a presentation must upload the presentation, in advance, to the city network using an  
upload portal. To upload your files and learn more, visit CoMo.gov/upload. (Effective Jan. 1,  
2023)