Title VI Compliance

Purpose
The City of Sugar Hill’ complaint process covers complaints filed by an individual or group of individuals under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, relating to any planning process, program or activity administered by the City of Sugar Hill. The process does not deny the right of the complainant to file formal complaints with other state or federal agencies, or to seek private counsel.

Definitions
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states: No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Complaint: Any verbal or written communication received by the City Clerk from members of the public referencing a general complaint regarding the inequitable distribution of benefits, services, amenities, programs or activities financed in whole or in part with federal funds is perceived as an informal charge. A complaint is further defined as any written complaint by an individual or group seeking to remedy perceived discrimination by policies, practices or decisions, which have an adverse impact resulting in inequitable distribution of benefits, services, amenities, programs or activities financed in whole or in part with federal funds.

The Form that follows may be downloaded as a PDF, displayed, and filled in using Acrobat Reader, which can be installed using the link at the bottom of this page. Some web browsers may support or be configured to display PDFs and accept form field input within the browser. Consult your web browser’s user guide for more information:

• Title VI Complaint Procedures (PDF)
• Title VI Complaint Form (PDF)

Responsibility
Please contact the City of Sugar Hill to speak with the designated Title VI Officer / City Clerk.

It is the official policy of the City of Sugar Hill to minimize potential complaints through the following:

• Public notice of review and comment period through a legal organ, the City’s website, media advisories and extensive mailing lists
• Reasonable opportunity for review and comment inclusive of a 30-day review and comment period
• Comment documentation and distribution to policy makers and the general public
• Opportunities for citizens to participate through focus groups, listening sessions, task forces and planning teams
• Opportunities for oral and written comment by email, survey responses, fax, phone calls, USPS mail, telephone conversations, public hearings or face to face conversations
• A participation evaluation process to assess the effectiveness of public outreach activities

Supporting documents for the above may be obtained from the City. View the Title VI Policy Statement (PDF).

Intake & Processing

• Any City employee may receive a verbal or written communication of a concern and shall direct the complainant to report the concern directly to one of the City’s designated Title VI Officers. Contact information is provided on the City’s website
• All complaints will be assigned a tracking number upon completion of the complaint form
• Investigation, Determination and Recommendation
• The Title VI Officer, in consultation with the affected department, will conduct an investigation inclusive of the following steps: the basis of the alleged unequal treatment; ascertain when and where the alleged unequal treatment occurred; identify and interview all relevant parties, review documents; and obtain other factual information from appropriate sources
• A record of all discussions will be maintained and documents relating to the investigation retained in a confidential file by Title VI Officials
• Based upon conclusion of a thorough investigation, a report will be prepared summarizing findings and suggesting appropriate corrective action along with proposed resolution
• The investigation will be conducted and completed within 60 days of the receipt of the formal complaint
• The investigative report will be submitted to the City Manager

Communication of Findings & Complaint Resolution

• The City Manager of the City of Sugar Hill will accept, reject, or modify the investigative report
• Written notification will be provided to the complainant of the findings and proposed resolution within 30 days

Appeal
The complainant may appeal to the Mayor and City Council of the City of Sugar Hill.