Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Complaint Process Regarding a City of Fort Collins Facility, Service, Program, or Activity.

This Complaint Process is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA") and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of facilities, services, activities, programs, or benefits by the City of Fort Collins (the “City”).  The City’s Personnel Policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.   

A complaint regarding the provision of facilities, services, activities, programs or benefits by the City should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint must be submitted by the Complainant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days after the alleged violation to:  

ADA Coordinator
City Manager’s Office
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522

Within thirty (15) calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the City’s ADA Coordinator or his designee will meet with the Complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within thirty (30) calendar days of the meeting, the City’s ADA Coordinator or his designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the Complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the City of Fort Collins and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint. 

If the response by the City’s ADA Coordinator or his designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the Complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the response to the City Manager or his designee. 

Within thirty (20) calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Manager will designate a third party (not a City employee) to act as appeal officer (the “Appeal Officer”). The Appeal Officer shall attempt to meet with the Complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolution. The Appeal Officer will be an attorney or someone who is well-versed in disability law, rules and regulations. Within thrity (30) calendar days after the meeting, the City Manager or his designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the Complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint. 

The City’s ADA Coordinator or his designee and the City Manager or his designee may extend the deadlines noted herein for cause and with notification to the Complainant. All written complaints received by the City’s ADA Coordinator or his designee, appeals to the City Manager or his designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the City of Fort Collins for at least three years. 

For more information about filing a complaint that a non-City entity has discriminated on the basis of disability, please visit the Colorado Civil Rights Division website.

The City’s Title VI Coordinator position is administrative in nature. The role of the Title VI Coordinator is to assist people in understanding the City’s nondiscrimination policies and procedures in relation to compliance with Title VI. The Title VI Coordinator is an impartial administrator who neither advocates for nor is an adversary to a person who wants to or has filed a Title VI complaint. The Title VI Coordinator’s responsibility is to ensure the proper administration of the Title VI complaint process. 

If a person believes they have been discriminated against in violation of Title VI, they have the right to file a complaint with an external entity such as the federal agency providing federal assistance to the City related to the program, service or activity of concern or with the United States Department of Justice. 

For more information about filing a Title VI complaint, visit the U.S. Department of Justice website at the link below or contact the U.S. Department of Justice by telephone at (888) 848-5306 for English and Spanish (ingles y espanol) or (202) 307-2678 (TDD).  

Questions regarding the complaint process should be directed to the City's ADA Coordinator City’s via email adacoordinator@fcgov.com or by calling 970-416-4254 during office hours (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.) 

Visit the U.S. Department of Justice website

The submitted form goes directly to the City’s Title VI and ADA Coordinator. A copy is sent to the email address provided on the complaint form, along with detailed information about how the complaint will be processed.

What to expect:

• Within 15 days of receiving the written complaint, the Title VI Coordinator will notify the Complainant of its receipt.  
• The Title VI Coordinator will attempt to discuss the complaint with the Complainant and any City staff members or others who are concerned with the complaint and will attempt to resolve the complaint informally.  
• If the Title VI Coordinator determines further investigation is warranted, they shall mail to the Complainant a notice of continuing investigation (“NCI”) within fifteen (15) days of receiving the completed Complaint Form. 
• If appropriate, the Title VI Coordinator may also arrange to meet with the Complainant to discuss the matter and possible resolution. 
• If the matter is not resolved informally, the Title VI Coordinator shall respond with their final response, in writing, within thirty (30) calendar days after the NCI is sent to the Complainant.  

If the Complainant feels the Title VI / ADA Coordinator's final response does not satisfactorily resolve the matter, the Complainant or authorized representative may appeal the decision in writing, to: 

City of Fort Collins 
City Manager’s Office 
300 Laport Ave, Building A
Fort Collins, Colorado 80521

The complainant shall file their appeal, including a detailed description of its basis, no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the date of the Title VI Coordinator’s final response.  

Within twenty (20) calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Manager will designate a third party (not a City employee) to act as appeal officer (the “Appeal Officer”). Next steps are as follows:

• The Appeal Officer shall attempt to meet with the Complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions.  
• The Appeal Officer will be an attorney or someone who is well-versed in Title VI law, rules and regulations. Within twenty (20) days calendar days after the filing of the appeal, the Appeal Officer shall respond, with a final resolution of the complaint. 
• At that point, the complainant may investigate their options for further action, including but not limited to those described in subsection 3 above.
• The Title VI Coordinator, the City Manager or their designee and the Appeal Officer may extend the deadlines noted herein for cause and with notification to the complainant.  

The City’s Title VI Coordinator will maintain the following materials for a period of three (3) years: (1) written complaints received by the Title VI Coordinator; (3) final response of the Title VI Coordinator; (3) final resolutions by the Appeals Officer.  

Upon request and at no cost, these documents will also be made available in alternative languages or formats by contacting the City’s Title VI Coordinator at titlesix@fcgov.com or by calling 970-416-2284.