The City of Madison Affirmative Action Commission discussed possible department reorganization that would combine the AAC and the Equal Opportunities Commission under a single director of a new Department of Civil Rights Tuesday.

City Council requires the AAC to review the Ad Hoc Committee on the Department of Civil Rights’ final report, which outlines the reorganization plans, before the council votes on it. The AAC will hold a public hearing May 12 to discuss the Ad Hoc Committee’s final report.

AAC Interim Director Enis Ragland said he looks forward to hearing public opinion on something other than ideas.

“Now the public has the final document to discuss,” Ragland said. “It’s no longer just a concept.”

The AAC will meet immediately after the public hearing to vote on the report itself and decide whether to amend anything. Additionally, the AAC will provide a letter to the common council addressing what the commission would like to see in the report.

The public, according to Ragland, is divided on the report as it applies to reconstruction, but the majority agrees about service provisions.

“As long as the concerns for the services are satisfied … I don’t think the public objects,” AAC member Shree Sridharan said.

Ald. Brian Benford, District 12, also a member of the AAC and the Ad Hoc Committee, agreed services are an important issue.

“I was against the restructuring,” Benford said. “However, I voted for the report because of the service elements it included.”

According to AAC member Lendell Alston, the new services include language assistance and minimum-wage enforcement, in addition to affirmative action and equal-opportunity issues.

“The public wants us to deliver the goods,” Alston said, referring to the service provisions.

Angela Russell, AAC member, said even though the AAC and EOC work separately, their issues are not mutually exclusive.

“It’s like one hand does not know what the other is doing,” Russell said. “There could be a lot more coordination of services between the commissions.”

Ragland said reorganization would make the new department more inclusive. He said his Latino and Asian American friends have confronted him about not having their concerns addressed by the current commissions.

“Right now the focus of our departments is for African Americans,” Ragland said. “The new structure could open things up for Latinos and Asian Americans.”

AAC member Richard Scott Sr. questioned the current commission’s effectiveness and expressed concerns that reorganization would not change the status quo.

“African Americans still have a lot of problems despite the focus of the current programs,” Scott said. “The public is concerned that the new structure will present the same problems.”

Alston said he was not sure if the new structure would work, but was adamant about the need for a change.

“We need to talk about setting up something that’s going to work,” Alston said. “Does the status quo really address these needs? I say the answer is ‘no’.”