Title VI - Nondiscrimination Policy and Plan for Sub‐Recipients in the Local Agency Program (LAP)

Policy Statement:

The City of Fort Myers values diversity and welcomes input from all interested parties, regardless of cultural identity, background or income level. Moreover, the City believes that the best programs and services result from careful consideration of the needs of all of its communities and when those communities are involved in the transportation decision making process. Thus, City does not tolerate discrimination in any of its programs, services or activities. Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal and state authorities, the county/city will not exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to discrimination anyone on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, income or family status.

Complaint Procedures:

The City has established a discrimination complaint procedure and will take prompt and reasonable action to investigate and eliminate discrimination when found. Any person who believes that he or she has been subjected to discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, family or income status in any of county/city’s programs, services or activities may file a complaint with the county/city Title VI/Nondiscrimination Coordinator:

Nondiscrimination Coordinator Name: Richard Moulton, Public Works Director

Address  2200 Second Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901

Email: rmoulton@cityftmyers.com

Phone: (239) 321‐7216

Hearing Impaired: 1‐800‐877‐8339

If possible, the complaint should be submitted in writing and contain the identity of the complainant; the basis for the allegations (i.e., race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or family status); and a description of the alleged discrimination with the date of occurrence. If the complaint cannot be submitted in writing, the complainant should contact the Title VI/Nondiscrimination Coordinator for assistance.

The Title VI/Nondiscrimination Coordinator will respond to the complaint within thirty (30) calendar days and will take reasonable steps to resolve the matter. Should the county/city be unable to satisfactorily resolve a complaint, the City will forward the complaint, along with a record of its disposition to the appropriate District of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

The City’s Title VI Coordinator has easy access to the City Manager and is not required to obtain management or other approval to discuss discrimination issues with the City Manager.   However, should the complainant be unable or unwilling to complain to the City, the written complaint may be submitted directly to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). FDOT will serve as a clearing house, forwarding the complaint to the appropriate state or federal agency:

Florida Department of Transportation
Equal Opportunity Office
ATTN: Title VI Complaint Processing
605 Suwannee Street MS 65
Tallahassee, FL 32399

ADA/504 Statement:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and related federal and state laws and regulations forbid discrimination against those who have disabilities. Furthermore, these laws require federal aid recipients and other government entities to take affirmative steps to reasonably accommodate the disabled and ensure that their needs are equitably represented in transportation programs, services and activities.

The CITY will make every effort to ensure that its facilities, programs, services, and activities are accessible to those with disabilities. The City will make every effort to ensure that its advisory committees, public involvement activities and all other programs, services and activities include representation by the disabled community and disability service groups.

The CITY encourages the public to report any facility, program, service or activity that appears inaccessible to those who are disabled. Furthermore, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to disabled individuals who wish to participate in public involvement events or who require special assistance to access facilities, programs, services or activities. Because providing reasonable accommodation may require outside assistance, organization or resources, the City asks that requests be made at least 2 calendar days prior to the need for accommodation.

Questions, concerns, comments or requests for accommodation should be made to the City’s ADA Officer:

Name: Rene Brito
Address: 2200 Second Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Email: rbrito@cityftmyers.com
Phone: (239) 321‐7464
Hearing Impaired: 1‐800‐877‐8339

Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Guidance:

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 13166, and various directives from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Department of Transportation (DOT) require federal aid recipients to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to programs, services and activities by those who do not speak English proficiently. To determine the extent to which LEP services are required and in which languages, the law requires the analysis of four factors:

• The number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to be served or likely to be encountered by the City programs, services or activities.
• The frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with these programs, services or activities.
• The nature and importance of the program, service, or activity to people’s lives and;
• The resources available to the City and the likely costs of the LEP services.

1. Using census data, the City has determined that LEP individuals speaking language other than English represent approximately 12% of the community. The City realizes that such statistical data can be outdated or inaccurate. Therefore, City contacted local law enforcement, social services agencies and the Lee County School District to determine the proportion of LEP served by those entities. Spanish was reported to be the prevalent LEP language and an estimated 10% of calls for service for these agencies were in the Spanish language. Given this information, the City reasons that a relatively small portion of its service population are LEP speakers of Spanish.
2. The City has received any requests for translation or interpretation of its programs, services or activities into Spanish or any other language. The City has conducted community outreach at public events attended by significant numbers of Spanish speakers. Informal data collection at these events indicate that an estimated 10% are LEP.
3. The City believes that transportation is of critical importance to its public, as access to health care, emergency services, employment, and other essentials would be difficult or impossible with reliable transportation systems.
4. The City has a diverse workforce that are fluent in many languages and are available to provide assistance should they arise.

The analyses of these factors suggest that LEP services are required at this time. Therefore the City has committed to the following:

• Maintain a list of employees who competently speak Spanish and other languages and who are willing to provide translation and/or interpretation services.
• Distribute this list to staff that regularly has contact with the public.
• Provide notification in Spanish of the availability of LEP assistance in public meeting notices and on public involvement event signage.

The City understands that its community profile is changing and the four factor analysis may reveal the need for more or varied LEP services in the future. As such, it will examine its LEP plan every 4 years to ensure that it remains reflective of the community’s needs.

Persons requiring special language services should contact the City’s Title VI/Nondiscrimination Officer: Richard Moulton, Public Works Director

Public Involvement:

In order to plan for efficient, effective, safe, equitable and reliable transportation systems, the City must have the input of its public. It is the City’s goal to strongly encourage the participation of the entire community. The City holds a number of transportation meetings, workshops and other events designed to gather public input on project planning and construction. Further, the City attends and participates in other community events to promote its services to the public.  Finally, the City is constantly seeking ways of measuring the effectiveness of its public involvement.

Persons wishing to request special presentations by the city/county; volunteer in any of its activities or offer suggestions for improvement of city/county public involvement may contact:

Title VI Coordinator: Richard Moulton, Public Works Director

Address: 2200 Second Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901

Email: rmoulton@cityftmyers.com 

Phone: (239) 321‐7216

Hearing Impaired: 1‐800‐877‐8339

Data Collection:

Federal Highway Administration regulations require federal‐aid recipients to collect racial, ethnic and other similar demographic data on beneficiaries of or those affected by transportation programs, services and activities. The City accomplishes this through the use of census data, American Community Survey reports, Environmental Screening Tools (EST), driver and ridership surveys, its community development department and other methods.    This information assists the City with improving its targeted outreach and measures of effectiveness.

Assurances:

Every three years, or commensurate with a change in City executive leadership year, the City must certify to FHWA and FDOT that its programs, services and activities are being conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner. These certifications are termed ‘assurances’ and serve two important purposes. First, they document the City’s commitment to nondiscrimination and equitable service to its community. Second, they serve as a legally enforceable agreement by which the City may be held liable for breach. The public may view the annual assurance on the City’s website or by visiting the City of Fort Myers Clerk’s Office.