The Human Rights Commission is hereby authorized and empowered:
(a) To cooperate and work with federal, State and local government officers, units, activities and agencies in the promotion and attainment of more harmonious understanding and greater equality of rights between and among all racial, religious and ethnic groups in this City;
(b) To enlist the cooperation of racial, religious and ethnic units, community and civic organizations, industrial and labor organizations and other identifiable groups of the City in programs and campaigns devoted to the advancement of tolerance, understanding and the equal protection of the laws for all groups and peoples;
(c) To receive, investigate and pass upon complaints alleging discrimination in employment or places of public accommodations, because of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, blindness, sex or age, and complaints alleging discrimination in the sale, purchase, lease, rental and financing of housing accommodations or real property because of race, religion, color, sex, age, blindness, national origin or ancestry, and to initiate its own consideration of any situations, circumstances or problems, including therein any racial, religious or ethnic group tensions, prejudice, disorder or discrimination reported or existing within the City relating to employment, places of public accommodations, housing accommodations and real property;
(d) To hold and conduct public and private hearings on complaints, matters and questions before the Commission; and, in connection therewith, relating to discrimination in employment or places of public accommodations, housing accommodations or real property; and, during the investigation of any formal complaint before the Commission relating to employment, places of public accommodations, housing accommodations or real property, to:
(1) Issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum upon the concurrence of at least three members of the Commission, administer oaths, take the testimony of any person under oath and make reimbursement for travel and other reasonable and necessary expenses in connection with such attendance;
(2) Furnish copies of public hearing records to parties involved therein upon their payment of the reasonable costs thereof to the Commission;
(3) Delegate to a panel of one Commission member appointed by the chairman and a hearing examiner who may be the City Attorney, the power and authority to hold and conduct the hearings, as herein provided, but all decisions and actions growing out of or upon any such hearings shall be reserved for determination by the Commission;
(4) Enter into conciliation agreements and consent orders;
(5) Apply to the County Circuit Court for enforcement of any conciliation agreement or consent order by seeking specific performance of such agreement or consent order;
(6) Issue cease and desist orders against any person found, after a public hearing, to have violated the provisions of this article or the rules and regulations of the Commission;
(7) Apply to the County Circuit Court for an order enforcing any lawful cease and desist order issued by the Commission.
(e) To recommend to the Mayor and Council, procedures, practices, policies and legislation in matters and questions affecting human rights;
(f) To delegate to its Executive Director such powers, duties and functions as may be necessary and expedient in carrying out the objectives and purposes of this article;
(g) To prepare a written report on its works, functions and services for each year ending on June 30 and to deliver copies thereof to the Mayor on or before December 1 next thereafter;
(h) To do all other acts and deeds necessary and proper to carry out and accomplish effectively the objects, functions and services contemplated by the provisions of this article, including the promulgation of rules and regulations in accordance with the provisions of West Virginia Code 29A-3-1 et seq. implementing the powers and authority hereby vested in the Commission;
(i) To create such advisory agencies and conciliation councils within the City as in its judgment will aid in effectuating the purposes of this article, to study the problem of discrimination because of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age or blindness; to foster, through community effort or otherwise, goodwill, cooperation and conciliation among the groups and elements of the population of this City, and to make recommendations to the Commission for the development of policies and procedures, and for programs of formal and informal education, which the Commission may recommend to the appropriate City agency. Such advisory agencies and conciliation councils shall be composed of representative citizens serving without pay. The Commission may itself make the studies and perform the acts authorized by this subdivision. It may, by voluntary conferences with the parties interested endeavor by conciliation and persuasion to eliminate discrimination in all the stated fields and to foster goodwill and cooperation among all elements of the population of the City;
(j) To accept contributions from any person to assist in the effectuation of the purposes of this section and to seek and enlist the cooperation of private, charitable, religious, labor, civic and benevolent organizations for the purposes of this section;
(k) To issue such publications and such results of investigation and research as in its judgment will tend to promote goodwill and minimize or eliminate discrimination; provided, that the identity of the parties involved shall not be disclosed.
(Ord. 78-25. Passed 7-24-78.)