Davenport Civil Rights Fee to take one other stab at making case for extra workers | Native Information

The commission originally requested a $ 340,000 increase in the budget to pay four additional investigators to “reduce case turnaround times, improve customer service and increase revenue through additional resolutions.”

Davenport has had more civil rights cases filed in recent years than any other city in the state. However, according to Latrice Lacey, director of civil rights at Davenport, the workforce in Iowa is comparable to or less than in metropolitan areas of similar size in Iowa.

The Davenport Civil Rights Commission has two full-time investigators and one part-time investigator handling a case load that currently stands at 167 cases. The commission investigates complaints about employment, housing, education, public housing and credit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and other protected classes.

Lacey said the addition of an investigator would allow the commission to investigate more cases in less time and give staff time to focus on education and contact services to “stop discrimination before it happens”.

Members also said the ability of the commission to follow up cases and bring them to a public hearing is hampered by “a serious lack” of funding.

While adding an investigator would help the commission resolve cases faster through mediation or other means, Lacey said more resources would be needed to hire another attorney to conduct further hearings.