Section 4.04.130 Powers and duties of the Commission.

1. To appoint an executive director subject to confirmation by the city council; to authorize the hiring of such additional personnel as deemed necessary, subject to budgetary limitations; and to remove such executive director for misdemeanor, incompetency, inattention to duty or failure to obey the policies of the commission.

3. To investigate and study the existence, character, causes, and extent of discrimination in public accommodations, employment, apprenticeship programs, on-the-job training programs, vocational schools, credit practices, and housing in this city and to attempt the elimination of such discrimination by education and conciliation.

4. To seek a temporary injunction against a respondent when it appears that a complainant may suffer irreparable injury as a result of an alleged violation of this chapter. A temporary injunction may only be issued ex parte, if the complaint filed with the commission alleges discrimination in housing. In all other cases a temporary injunction may be issued only after the respondent has been notified and afforded the opportunity to be heard.

5. To hold hearings upon any complaint made against a person, an employer, an employment agency, or a labor organization, or the employees or members thereof, to subpoena witnesses and compel their attendance at such hearings, to administer oaths and take the testimony of any person under oath, and to compel such person, employer, employment agency, or labor organization, or employees or members thereof to produce for examination any books and papers relating to any matter involved in such complaint. The commission shall issue subpoenas for witnesses in the same manner and for the same purposes on behalf of the respondent upon the respondent's request. Such hearings may be held by the commission, by any commissioner or by any hearing examiner appointed by the commission; however, the commission shall retain the sole power to issue and seek enforceable subpoenas. If a witness either fails or refuses to obey a subpoena issued by the commission, the commission may petition the district court having jurisdiction for issuance of a subpoena and the court shall in a proper case issue the subpoena. Refusal to obey such subpoena shall be subject to punishment for contempt.

6. To issue such publications and reports of investigations and research as in the judgment of the commission shall tend to promote good will among the various racial, religious, social, and ethnic groups of the city and which shall tend to minimize or eliminate discrimination in public accommodations, employment, apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs, vocational schools, or housing because of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, ancestry or disability.

7. To prepare and transmit to the mayor and to the city council from time to time, but not less often than once each year, reports describing its proceedings, investigations, hearings conducted and the outcome thereof, decisions rendered, and the other work performed by the commission.

9. To co-operate, within the limits of any appropriations made for its operation, with other agencies or organizations, both public and private, whose purposes are consistent with those of this chapter, and in the planning and conducting of programs designed to eliminate racial, religious, cultural, and intergroup tensions.

12. To create such advisory committee as will aid in effectuating the purposes of this chapter, which may be authorized to study the problems of discrimination because of age, race, religion, creed, color, sex, national origin, membership in a protected class defined by the Iowa Civil Rights Act and/or the Federal Civil Rights Act, ancestry and disability and which may be authorized to foster through community effort or otherwise, good will, cooperation and conciliation among the groups and elements of the population of this city, and make recommendations to the commission for the development of rules and procedures, and for programs of formal and informal education which the commission may recommend to the city council. Such advisory committee shall be composed of representative citizens serving without pay. The commission may itself make the studies and perform the acts authorized by this subsection. The commission may, by voluntary conference with the parties in interest, endeavor by conciliation and persuasion to eliminate discrimination in all the stated fields and to foster good will and cooperation among all elements of the population of the city.

13. To issue subpoenas and order discovery as provided by this section in aid of investigations and hearings of alleged unfair or discriminatory housing or real property practices. The subpoenas and discovery may be ordered to the same extent and are subject to the same limitations as subpoenas and discovery in a civil action in district court.

14. To administer oaths and affirmations, certify its official acts, and issue subpoenas and other legal process to compel the production of testimony, books, records, papers, accounts, or documents reasonably relevant to any inquiry, investigation, hearing or proceeding brought under this Ordinance.

15. To enter into agreements as a deferral agency with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to receive such complaints as the Iowa Commission may refer; to investigate and process them in the same manner as a complaint originally filed with the Sioux City Human Rights Commission and to report its investigative results, findings, conclusions, recommendations and orders to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.