Baltimore County Human Relations Commission to review draft bylaws at January meeting

The Baltimore County Human Relations Commission announced on Dec. 10 that it has received draft bylaws from the county chief administrative officer and will circulate them to commissioners for review ahead of a scheduled line-by-line consideration in January.

The chair told commissioners the draft bylaws ‘‘are available’’ and asked members to submit proposed procedural amendments that reflect how the commission should conduct business under Article 29. The chair said the January meeting will be dedicated to detailed review so commissioners can decide collectively which procedural changes to propose.

Chief Rishon provided a staff update during the meeting, reporting that ‘‘the total intakes are 31,’’ with a smaller number currently active, and described an administrative transition to have some investigations handled by the county investigation group pending a formal delegation from the accounting executive. He also noted at least one case was nearing a 180-day threshold that will require follow-up.

The commission emphasized compliance with state and county governance limits as part of the review. Commissioners were advised to route questions about permissible communications and administrative procedures through the administrative officer to avoid violating the Maryland Open Meetings Act while exchanging draft comments.

The commission will distribute the draft bylaws digitally and collect proposed amendments before the January meeting, when members will review the document line by line and decide what, if any, changes to recommend.