Decorah Human Rights Commission Misinformation

Posted: February 10, 2026 in City News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Decorah City Manager
Press Contact: Travis Goedken, 563-382-3651

Decorah Human Rights Commission Misinformation

Decorah, IA (February 10, 2026) – Decorah, IA – The City of Decorah has been made aware of social media posts stating misinformation and outright falsehoods regarding the Decorah Human Rights Commission and needs to address these head on.

It has been stated that commissioners were removed from the City website without notice. What was not mentioned is that those two commissioners’ appointments had expired and that is why they were removed from the City’s website. The DHRC was not the only commission that the website was updated to reflect current appointments.

It has been stated that the DHRC “formally met in January”, staff did post an agenda which was in error. However, no minutes were provided to administrative offices for records that would indicate a formal meeting was attempted to be held.

It has been stated that no DHRC appointments were brought to the City Council on February 1. While true, February 1 was the deadline to submit applications; with the latest announcement published on the City’s website and shared to Facebook on January 22nd. The DHRC has had at least one vacancy since January 1, 2025 and has been noted at Council meetings since February 3rd, 2025 – over a year ago.

It has been claimed that “another city commission was told to discuss dissolving the DHRC, without input from current DHRC members.” This is not true. A review of the agendas posted for the March 11, 2025 meeting (agenda item 6c. DHRC Structure & Alignment with Sustainability Commission) and April 1, 2025 meeting (agenda item 6g. DHRC Visibility & Structure – Discussion on remaining a standalone commission and potential city council liaison) both show that this was discussed with the Commission. This discussion was from the inability for the Commission to hold a meeting for lack of a quorum in the preceding months.

It has been stated that the DHRC set a public hearing for 6:30PM on Tuesday, February 17th at their meeting in December. The minutes of that meeting were sent to administrative offices on January 29th, 2026; do not show any action taken on agenda item “c” of Old Business, but says “We discussed reaching out to the City to ask to rent out City Hall in February and agreed on a structure for the event.” Public hearings require action to set and publication in the official newspaper to provide notice to the public, neither of these have been done.

Furthermore, the recent article published by DecorahNews.com was the result of a press release issued by an individual presenting themself as a representative of the City, knowing that they were not. The City does not fault local media for reporting what they believed to be true and accurate information, but does wish to address these comments through official outlets.

The City of Decorah values transparency and factual public discourse. Recent misinformation circulating on social media does not accurately reflect the City’s actions or intent, and we remain committed to clarifying the record with verifiable information. Residents are encouraged to review official City communications and engage with staff directly as part of our ongoing commitment to openness and accountability.

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