Aurora’s City Council eliminated the Human Relations Commission on Monday night despite backlash from several community members, and kept the Youth and Veteran’s Commissions.

The council also got rid of the Independent Review Board, which has not been meeting anyway, according to city officials.

The Veteran’s Affairs and Youth Commissions were up for a vote to be cut, but councilmembers voted to keep them with changes after hearing some backlash from community members and councilmembers.

Removing and consolidating boards and commissions is meant to “enhance coordination, reduce redundancy and improve the allocation of resources,” according to meeting documents.

Aurora has 28 boards, commissions, committees and authorities composed of almost 300 resident volunteer positions appointed by city councilmembers. As of November, there were 56 vacancies.

The conversation started in a meeting in November, with City Manager Jason Batchelor citing councilmembers’ concerns about board redundancy and member vacancies.

Batchelor called the Independent Review Board “functionally defunct,” saying its purpose was duplicative of the Civil Service Commission, providing civilian oversight of police and fire.

Aurora’s Veterans Affairs Commission, made up of 12 members, advises the council as to the concerns of veterans in relation to transportation, housing and employment.

Hashim Coates, an Aurora resident and Navy veteran, said the commission gives veterans a voice, saying dismantling it “treats veterans as an afterthought.”

A vote to get rid of the commission failed Monday night, and Councilmember Francoise Bergan suggested the commission remain but meet less frequently. The move passed with three ‘no’ votes from Councilmembers Danielle Jurinsky, Amsalu Kassaw and Curtis Gardner.

The 15-member Human Relations Commission disseminates information and educational material to “eliminate prejudice, promote human relations and investigate complains of this nature,” according to the city’s website.

It was eliminated with six ‘yes’ votes and four ‘no’ votes from Councilmembers Ruben Medina, Alison Coombs, Angela Lawson and Crystal Murillo.

Law does not allow the city to investigate any of the complaints that come forward from the commission, City Attorney Pete Schulte said Monday evening, but the state and county do have that authority.

Anyone who comes forward with complaints will be directed by the city to state and county resources, where those complaints can be legally dealt with, Schulte said.

Amy Wiles, the chair of the commission, said the commission has partnered with nonprofits to help people, organized dozens of events and been one of the city’s “most active commissions.”

Wiles called the decision “short-sighted” and “harmful to the community.”

“For years, the HRC has played a vital role in fostering inclusivity, equity, and connection within Aurora’s diverse and culturally rich community,” Wiles told The Denver Gazette. “I would hope that in a community as diverse as ours council would choose to honor that diversity and not attempt to silence us.”

Aurora’s Youth Commission, made up of 22 members, advises the council and other city bodies on the interests of youth in the city, according to the city’s website. Its mission is to “better the well-being of Aurora’s youth through representation, service and action.”

Councilmember Bergan said that it would be more effective to have youth slots on various boards and commissions rather than have a commission solely dedication to youth.

Councilmember Medina disagreed, saying the other meeting times are in the evenings and after school when kids are doing other things. Putting kids on adult commissions will likely mean they will be less likely to use their voices, he added, saying kids don’t always feel comfortable interjecting in those spaces.

Bergan, who sponsored the move to get rid of the commission, agreed that the council should look into keeping the commission but changing it to try to get more participation. She withdrew her ordinance.