Grievance Procedure

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the City of Fargo. The City's Personnel Policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

The complaint 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 should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

ADA Coordinator
Buildings and Grounds
City of Fargo
200 3rd St N
Fargo, ND 58102
Email

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or his/her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA Coordinator or his/her 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 Fargo and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by ADA Coordinator or his/her designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the City Administrator or his/her designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Administrator or his/her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the City Administrator or his/her designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

If the response by the City Administrator or his/her designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the City Commission by filing an appeal in writing with the City Commission Administration Office.

In due course, the City Commission Administration Office will place the appeal on the agenda for hearing and final determination before the City Commission. The City Commission will adopt a final resolution which will be put into writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, for the final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by the ADA Coordinator or his/her designee, appeals to the City Administrator or his/her designee or appeals to the City Commission and responses from these offices will be retained by the City of Fargo for at least three years.