Board Hopeful Human Rights Feedback May Boost Funding

MOSCOW – Recent University of Idaho student feedback will inform a report that will support a plea to the City Council for more funding, the Moscow Human Rights Commission determined at its regular Tuesday meeting.

Comments from students at September’s free Better Together Dinner, sponsored by the commission and the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, will be the focus of a future subcommittee workshop to compose the report, the commission agreed. The report will be presented to the new mayor and newly constituted post-election City Council early next year. The report also will inform efforts to expand and improve the dinner next year. 

A letter from the commission was sent this week to the City Council, said Chair Erin Agidius, to remind the council of the importance of the commission’s human rights efforts and its need for clear communication of expectations and sufficient funding from the city. 

The City Council this fiscal year decreased funding for all city commissions from $6,000 to $3,250. The Human Rights Commission hosts, co-hosts and supports many events; spending caution and reallocation have been of concern in its recent meetings.

In other business:

* Nominations will be accepted until Jan. 13 for the 2026 Rosa Parks Human Rights Achievement Awards, which will be presented at the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Community Breakfast on Jan. 24. See https://moscowchamber.com/rosa-parks-human-rights-achievement-awards-nominations-now-being-accepted-2/ for criteria and submission information. The annual award is sponsored by the Latah County Human Rights Task Force.

* Four commissioner positions expire in December. There also is a vacant position. A form to apply for Moscow city commissions is at https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/FormCenter/Commissions-26/Commission-Application-130

* The commission unanimously voted to table a decision to spend $300 for buttons to give away at events where it hosts an information table. The events don’t begin until June, so the board determined it could wait on making a purchasing decision. About $2,000 remains in the budget, Chair Agidius said.  

* The commission heard brief assessments of recent local human rights events. 

* It also expressed intent to host a social justice event, in part to address concerns of antisemitism raised by resident William Janzer at the October meeting.