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D. Schleicher, City Manager,    Date: October 1, 2013

Title VI Compliance

Compliance Statement 

 The City of Tybee Island assures that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. The City of Tybee Island further assures every effort will be made to ensure nondiscrimination in all of its programs and activities, whether those programs and activities are federally funded or not.  The City of Tybee Island Title VI coordinator is responsible for initiating and monitoring Title VI activities, preparing required reports and other responsibilities as required by Title VI.  

For Additional Information/Complaints

For additional information about the City of Tybee Island’s non-discrimination obligations under Title VI, or to file a Title VI Discrimination Complaint, please send your written request or complaint to: 

Janice Elliott
HR Division Director and Title VI Coordinator
P.O. Box 2479
Tybee Island, Georgia 31328
jelliott@cityoftybee.org  

TITLE VI COMPLAINT PROCEDURES 

A complaint alleging discrimination against a department or entity within the City of Tybee Island should be filed with the Title VI Coordinator. The Title VI Coordinator is primarily responsible for receiving and acknowledging complaints, investigating and reporting the findings. Complaints are preferred in writing preferably using the complaint form, which can be downloaded here, and sent to the City of Tybee Island Title VI.

The City of Tybee Island Title VI Coordinator will keep the original complaint form and will forward a copy to GDOT, Office of EEO, Title VI/Environmental Justice Specialists, 600 West Peachtree Street, N.W., 7^th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30308.  The complaint must be filed no later than 180 calendar days after the alleged discriminatory incident. 

The Title VI Coordinator along with the Title VI/Environmental Justice Specialist will investigate complaints against all other departments, in conjunction with and under the advice of the City of Tybee Island’s Attorney, and will make a finding based on the investigation. The investigation may include a discussion of the complaint with all affected parties to determine the problem. 

The Title VI Coordinator will maintain a Title VI Complaint Log detailing the type and status of each complaint. The Title VI Complaint Log shall be maintained in a locked filing cabinet and shall be maintained for a period of three years. The log shall include a case file number; indicate the date of receipt; nature of complaint; and disposition of the complaint. 

Complaint files shall include a copy of the written complaint; a record of contacts made and information obtained during the investigation; and other related correspondence from the complainant, agency or organization against whom the complaint was made. Complaints shall be held strictly confidential to the extent allowable by law. 

When the investigation is concluded, the Title VI Coordinator, the Title VI/Environmental Justice Specialist in cooperation with the City of Tybee Island’s Attorney, will prepare a written report of findings. Should this report include a finding of Title VI violation, proposed remedial action shall also be included in the report. 

The Title VI Coordinator will retain a copy of the report on permanent file and the findings will be communicated to the complainant within ten (10) business days of the finding. The complainant may also file a complaint with the Regional Division of the U.S. Office of Civil Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. To allow for sequential filing with external entities, the report shall be released no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the date on which the complaint was received. Any complainant unsatisfied with the finding may choose to appeal the finding to an external entity such as the Regional Division of the U.S. Office of Civil Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Should a complaint be filed with the City of Tybee Island and an external entity simultaneously, the external complaint shall supersede the City of Tybee Island’s complaint and the City of Tybee Island’s complaint procedures will be suspended pending the external findings.

If corrective action(s) are recommended, the alleged discriminatory contractor or sub- contractor will be given thirty (30) calendar days to inform the investigation coordinator of the actions taken for compliance. Corrective actions can be in the form of actions to be taken at a future date after the initial thirty (30) days with projected time period(s) in which action will be completed. All corrective actions must be made within sixty (60) days from the date of the actual recommendation.

If the recommended corrective action(s) have not been taken within the sixty (60) days’ time period allowed, the contractor or sub-contractor will be found to be in non- compliance with Title VI rules and regulations, and a plan will be undertaken for enforcement action. 

Appeal Procedures 

The complainant has the right to appeal all written reports to the Title VI Coordinator in writing within fourteen (14) days of receipt of the final report of findings.

• The appeal must specifically cite the portion(s) of the finding with which the complainant disagrees and his/her reason(s) for disagreement.
• The Title VI Coordinator will forward this appeal within seven (7) days to the appropriate Title VI Advisory Board for review.
• The Board's review of the finding will be based on the entire record.
• The Board must complete the appeal review within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the    appeal.
• The Board will forward their written findings to the complainant, the Title VI coordinator, the City of Tybee Island’s Attorney, and the City of Tybee Island’s City Manager, Mayor and Council.

Title VI Discrimination Complaint Form