Arlington’s Office of Human Rights could receive a revamp next year, potentially dividing into two separate offices with additional staffing.
A proposal, set to be included in County Manager Mark Schwartz’s fiscal year 2028 budget proposal early next year, would expand resources allocated to human rights cases and Equal Employment Opportunity complaints.
It would split existing functions into two separate offices:
- One will focus on enforcement of the county’s Human Rights Ordinance and fair-housing complaints
- The other will pursue workplace investigations, legal compliance for county programs and services, and training for the county government’s workforce and program providers
In a statement, Schwartz said “expectations have grown tremendously” since the county’s human rights ordinance was established in the 1980s.
“Balancing these responsibilities within a single office has become more challenging, and has stretched the county’s ability to provide timely response to internal Equal Employment Opportunity complaints and conduct specialized and proactive education and enforcement of fair-housing laws,” he said.
The proposal to split up and expand staffing won support from Kellen MacBeth, president of Equality Arlington.
“This is a significant step forward for the County Board and county manager on top of several actions in the last couple of years to address gaps in outreach, education and enforcement in the civil rights and fair housing space,” he said.
Exactly how much additional funding Schwartz will seek to support expanded operations might not be known until he submits his budget proposal in February. But he will be seeking more, the county manager said.
“To realize this vision will require an increase in resources,” he said.
Expansion of the office would need to be ratified by County Board members.
In the current fiscal 2027 budget, the Office of Human Rights has a budget of $1.11 million, up 9% from the previous fiscal year. The five authorized staff positions are unchanged from fiscal 2026.
In a related action, Schwartz on Sept. 28 announced the appointment of Anna Maynard as assistant county manager overseeing the Office of Human Rights.
Maynard has been a county staffer since 2003, joined the Office of Human Rights in 2006 and was named to head it on an interim basis last November.
In the role, Maynard also serves as executive director of the county’s Human Rights Commission.
In mid-2024, County Board members removed sitting members of the commission after a series of skirmishes between that body and local leadership.
Before appointing new members, Board members revamped the commission’s scope to more explicitly limit its powers.
