Human Rights Board Sets FY2027 Budget Request, Reelects Officers

MOSCOW – The Moscow Human Rights Commission will request a FY2027 budget of $5,000 from the City Council, the commission agreed in a unanimous vote at its regular meeting on Tuesday. The fiscal year is October to September.

The board historically has spent most of its $6,000 annual budget. But for this fiscal year (FY2026), the city cut commission budgets to $3,250 for cost savings.

The Human Rights Commission has scaled back events and spending. It has spent about $1,000 so far, said Chair Erin Agidius, and has another $1,500 intended for specific events through September. 

She said the realistic FY2027 budget likely again would be $3,250. Commissioner Vanessa Stevens recommended asking the longtime budget amount of $6,000. Commissioner Nick Smiley-Kallas countered that the board should request less to acknowledge that budgets are tight. 

John Freeland suggested asking for what was actually spent from the FY2025 budget, which was about $5,000. The commission agreed on that figure.

In other business, the commission:

* Unanimously reelected Agidius as chair and Elizabeth Stevens as vice-chair for 2026. Newly seated City Council member Sage McCetich was introduced as this year’s council liaison to the commission.

* Agreed this year to prioritize social justice forums addressing 1) discrimination/harassment, and 2) immigration and ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) actions.

Smiley-Kallas and Agidius recollected that barriers to accessibility and also religious discrimination were top concerns in the most recent citizen survey conducted by the city, although that was about two years ago. Another citywide survey is due this year.

* Heard from University of Idaho student Grace Clevenger, a sociology major interested in filling the student opening on the commission. 

Two non-student seats also are vacant. After the recent departures of two commissioners who assisted with marketing, “It would be helpful to have a journalist and maybe a graphic designer” fill those spots, said Commissioner Elizabeth Stevens. An application can be found at https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/FormCenter/Commissions-26/Commission-Application-130.

* Was told that Saturday’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Community Breakfast is sold out and will be live-streamed at 9:45 a.m. A link is available at the Latah County Human Rights Task Force website at https://www.humanrightslatah.org/.

Submissions for the MLK Jr. K-12 Essay and Art Contest will be accepted through Jan. 29, said Joanne Muneta, chair of the task force. More information is at the link above. Public presentation of awards for the contest will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 7, in the 1912 Center.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Moscow Human Rights Commission will be Feb. 17.