ADA Grievance Procedure

It is the intent of the City of Snohomish to expediently and equitably resolve issues concerning barriers to persons with disability or alleged discrimination toward persons with disability, in employment practice or in the provision of services provided by the City.

City Administrator

The City Administrator is responsible to hear and/or cause investigation of any question or concern by a member of the public or employee regarding discriminatory practices in the provision of services, barriers to accessibility to services or employment practices.  A decision of the City Administrator will be rendered within 15 working days of receipt of complaint.

Review Board

The City Administrator may, at his/her discretion, request a review board to be convened, for the purpose of hearing and investigating any issue of accessibility or discriminatory practices filed with the City Administrator.  The City Administrator will determine on a case-by-case basis when the City Review Board will be convened, and shall forward the issue to the Board for their investigation and recommendation.

The City Review Board will consist of two Department Directors, two employee representatives and the Human Resources Manager.  All members will be appointed by the City Administrator, with the exception of the standing appointment of the Human Resources Manager.  The investigation and written recommendation of the City Review Board will be completed within 15 days of receipt of the complaint by the City Administrator.

ADA Compliance Committee

If the complaint cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the City Administrator, the City Administrator may request advice from a committee comprised of members of the disabled community, business or non-profit sectors, educators or health/medical professionals.

Alternative Remedies

The individual's right to prompt and equitable resolution of the complaint must not be impaired by his/her pursuit of other remedies, such as the filing of a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice or other appropriate federal or state agency.  Furthermore, the filing of a lawsuit in state or federal district court can occur at any time.  The use of this complaint resolution procedure is not a prerequisite to the pursuit of other remedies.

Recordkeeping and Public Proceedings

A record of action taken on each request or complaint must be maintained as part of the record or minutes at each level of the investigation and resolution process.  Hearings for the purposes of investigation of the facts of the complaint shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable public meeting requirements, including reasonable notice to the complainant of the date, time and location of the hearing.