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<br /> <br />Commission may be removed for good cause by a majority vote of City Council. <br />(b) The Commission shall elect from its members a chair, a vice-chair, and such other officers as the Commission may deem appropriate. <br />(c) Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation, but funds may be appropriated in the City’s annual budget for reasonable and necessary expenses to be incurred by Commission in the conduct of its prescribed functions. <br />(d) All meetings of the Commission shall be advertised in advance and in the manner required <br />by law and shall be open to the public except for meetings lawfully closed pursuant to the <br />Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The Commission may adopt bylaws and procedures to govern the conduct of its meetings; provided, however, that at the beginning and at the end of each of its public meetings the Commission will receive public comment in accordance with City Council’s adopted “Rules for Public Participation.” <br />(e) The Commission may, in its discretion, delegate any of its duties or responsibilities <br />hereunder to a panel of not less than three Commissioners. <br />(f) There shall be a full-time Director of the Commission, who shall be appointed by the City Manager with the advice and consent of the Commission and who shall serve full time in that capacity. A candidate proposed for appointment as the Director must demonstrate significant <br />prior professional experience performing one or more of the activities or roles described in <br />the code of the City of Charlottesville, Chapter 2, Article XV. The Director shall be responsible for and report to the Commission on the day-to-day operational conduct of the Human Rights Commission. The Director shall report directly to the Deputy City Manager for Social Equity for administrative and fiscal matters. The City Manager shall delegate to <br />the Director the authority to employ such additional staff as authorized and funded by the <br />City Council to allow the Commission to effectively fulfill its obligations under this Ordinance. In the absence of a Director, the City Manager shall transfer the Director’s duties to qualified professional staff within the City to ensure the continuity of services provided by the Human Rights Commission and Office of Human Rights. <br />(g) The City Council shall establish policies and procedures for the performance by the <br />Commission of the roles, duties and responsibilities set forth within this article (“operating procedures”). All City departments, boards and commissions shall cooperate with and assist the Commission, including the provision of information in response to reasonable requests from the Commission. <br />(h) Legal counsel shall be provided to the Commission and its staff through the Office of the <br />City Attorney. The City Council hereby authorizes retention of outside counsel for the prosecution of civil action regarding a finding of reasonable cause under this ordinance, upon recommendation of the City Attorney. <br />(i) The Commission shall make quarterly reports to the City Council concerning the operation <br />of the Commission and the status of the Commission’s performance of the duties, <br />responsibilities and roles set forth within this article. One of the required quarterly reports shall be an annual report. The schedule for submission of these reports, and the required contents of the reports, shall be as specified within the Commission’s operating procedures. Sec. 2-433. Role of the Human Rights Commission. <br />The role of the Human Rights Commission, with support from the Office of Human Rights, is to act as a strong advocate for justice and equal opportunity by providing citywide leadership <br />and guidance in the area of civil rights. The Commission will: <br />(a) Assist individuals who believe they are the victim of an act of unlawful discrimination within