Rhonda Rineer was about to move into a new apartment. A teacher in the School District of Lancaster, she has severe asthma, and needed a smoke-free environment. She found a place and it seemed to fit the bill; she paid the landlord a $650 security deposit.

But when she stopped back a few weeks later, something had changed. "It was totally smoky," she said. The previous occupant's daughter smoked. "I just can't stand it, that's how bad my asthma is," Rineer said.

Rineer asked for her money back; the landlord refused. So Rineer called the Lancaster County Human Relations Commission, and with the help of a fair housing specialist, she was able to recover her deposit.

"I needed someone to advocate for me," Rineer said, "someone to say, 'You can't do this to people.' "

That's what the local Human Relations Commission does. Or did.

County Commissioner Scott Martin, citing a desire to cut the cost of government, has suggested repealing the 1991 ordinance that gives the local HRC its enforcement powers, which would eliminate the nine-person county department. That could save taxpayers $470,000 per year.

The proposal has turned into a pitch-perfect political battle, pitting those who want to downsize government against others who believe government plays a vital role in ensuring justice for all. A public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 29, at 150 N. Queen St., is expected to draw a large, passionate crowd.

Yet some worry that in all of the hullaballoo, the human face of the local commission is lost. "I'm a teacher, I can't just take off to go to Harrisburg" to deal with the state Human Relations Commission, Rineer said.

Local HRC officials worry that if the commission is eliminated, some with legitimate complaints won't seek help.

Martin said he understands the concerns. But the bottom line, ultimately, is the bottom line:

"We have one form of revenue, property tax," he said. And there is, he said, a "shrinking pool of taxable parcels."

"I'd compare it to police regionalization," Martin said. "Local government tax reform is needed.

"I know it doesn't make a lot of people happy."

Strong opinions
That might be an understatement.

About 100 showed up at a June 29 commissioners meeting to voice their opinions. The NAACP released a statement earlier this month opposing the move; and Stephen Glassman, director of the state Human Relations Commission, is outspoken in his belief that if the local HRC is abolished, "it sends a message that Lancaster County is an intolerant place."

"If county commissioners vote to repeal the 1991 ordinance, "it will be the first time in the history of Pennsylvania, and maybe the United States, that this has happened," Glassman said.

The proposal took some people by surprise. Throughout June, gay rights advocates had been calling for commissioners to expand the HRC's legal capabilities so it could fight discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation. Some wonder if that prompted the plan to kill the HRC outright.

"It certainly has the appearance of being targeted because some commissioners hold different philosophical positions," said Jenny Engle, vice president of the HRC board of directors. "That's the elephant in the room."

Added Democratic County Commissioner Craig Lehman, "I think the timing is certainly questionable."

Martin, a Republican and chairman of the board of commissioners, said that in a roundabout way, the requests from gay rights advocates did prompt his proposal.

"I wasn't 100 percent familiar with the legislation" that created the HRC, he said. In the wake of the pressure from activists, he studied up on the subject.

"I was taken aback," he said. Among other things, he discovered that just five Pennsylvania counties have their own human relations commissions; 62 counties, some of them larger than Lancaster, let the state HRC handle the job.

If the county HRC was closed, the nine full-time employees could apply for vacant county jobs if they qualify, Martin said.

As he explained in an op-ed published in Tuesday's Intelligencer Journal/New Era, "Given the fact that not one right is being taken away from any of the protected classes in Lancaster County if we abolish the local commission and go with the state commission, we as a community need to address the important issue at hand: Why are taxpayers of Lancaster County being taxed twice for the same protections?"

Convenience matters
For one thing, responds Leslie L. Hyson, executive director of the local HRC, they pay for convenience. That's a big deal for some people.

Indeed, many of the HRC's cases involve people with disabilities. "Some people can't travel to Harrisburg" to pursue a complaint, she said. And what could happen, she fears, is that people with grievances will be dissuaded from filing a complaint.

"Lancaster likes to take care of business in Lancaster," Hyson said.

Republican county commissioner Dennis Stuckey agreed that "a lot of people believe that handling our issues locally is a more fair and balanced way of addressing them. I respect that argument... but in these times, with our commitment to not raise taxes in 2011, we have to look at every department we have."

Previous reports put the 2010 cost per resident at $1.39, but that's actually incorrect, Hyson said. The figure was based on the commission's total budget of $705,000; but the county's expenditure is $470,000, 3 percent of the overall $150 million budget. Cost per county resident is 93 cents, Hyson said.

"I think that's worth it," Hyson said.

In 2009, 150 complaints were filed with the local HRC; 28 went to fact-finding conferences, and 67 cases were closed, with more than half found to have no probable cause. But HRC officials say these figures only scratch the surface of what the department actually does.

Engle said that in May the department handled 202 "consultations" — anything from a phone call to sit-down meetings. Many require a significant amount of investigation: "We can't just say, 'Oh you have a case, or you don't,' " Engle said. "We have to take a statement, and talk to the respondent [the person accused of discrimination]. We talk to a lot of people who come in, but don't file complaints."

Of those 202 consultations, she said, 123 involved concerns over housing.

Through May there were 55 consultations on employment — compared to 46 in the first five months of 2009.

The details of individual cases are not public record, Hyson said. Settlements often prohibit disclosure. And many of the most high-profile cases are filed at the state level, though not all of them. Last fall, it was reported that a parent of a student at McCaskey High School had filed a complaint with the local HRC, alleging that the School District of Lancaster had retaliated against her and discriminated against her boyfriend after she had complained about the school's cheerleading program.

The commission also publishes brochures and sponsors events to help businesses, landlords, police and others avoid complaints.

"It is always important to have a local human relations commission on the ground," said Glassman, chairman of the state commission. "It serves to tell people that there's a watchful eye out there, 'You will not get away with discrimination.' "

But Martin's question is: What's that worth?

"We're obviously concerned with the delivery of services," he said.

"But we also have to be concerned about the cost of services."