By a 7-1 vote Tuesday evening, the Salina Human Relations Commission recommends the Salina City Commission should vote to add sexual orientation and gender identity to protected classes against discrimination when it comes to employment, housing and public accommodations.

More than 2 dozen people, mostly those in support of the amendment attended the meeting. But no members of the public were allowed to speak.

Human Relations Commission Executive Director Gina McDonald said at the recent forums to gather input from the community on the proposed changes to the city discrimination ordinance, and the last Human Relations Commission meeting that 163 people spoke, 87 in favor and 76 opposed. Those numbers do not remove the speakers who spoke more than once.

Among items of the proposed changes in the ordinance will require vendors who the city does business with will have to include the changes in anti discrimination policies that they currently have. The city would also have up to a year to make the changes in contracts with vendors they do business with and that numbers several hundred. There would also be a 60 day waiting period after the ordinance is passed by the City Commission to educate the community what the changes mean.

Human Relations Commission member Marie Johnson says she believes that the proposed changes will bring economic benefit to Salina because companies on both coast who would be willing to locate to a friendly community to all.

Commission member Luci Larson who voted against the change, says she believes that the changes will do more harm than good and will increase the workload of the Human Relations Commission staff and board members.

A date for the City Commission to take up the recommended changes has not been announced.