A. Employees who are subject to sexual harassment, if they feel comfortable doing so, may directly inform the person engaging in the harassing conduct or communication that such conduct or communication is offensive and must stop. No employee subject to sexual harassment is required to confront a person engaging in such conduct.
B. Complaints of sexual harassment should be made to either of the Village of Cerro Gordo Complaint Managers. The Complaint Managers shall be appointed by the Village President. The name, address, email, and telephone number of the Complaint Managers shall be provided to all employees at the time of hire and any time a new Complaint Manager(s) is appointed.
C. If the person making the complaint does not feel comfortable making a complaint to the Complaint Manager(s), the complaint may be made to the Village President or directly to the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
D. Employees may choose to make complaints to a person of the employee's same sex.
E. Any elected official of the Village of Cerro Gordo who believes that he or she has been sexually harassed by another elected official of the Village may file a complaint with the Village President. If the Village President is the reporting person or is implicated by the allegation, the report can be made to any other elected official of the Village. Any report under this section must be referred to the Village's legal counsel. The Village's legal counsel shall promptly appoint a qualified independent attorney or consultant to review and investigate the allegations. The Village President is hereby authorized and directed to implement and administer this chapter in accordance with applicable law.
F. There is no express time limit for reporting claims of sexual harassment. However, efforts should be made to report complaints as soon as possible, while facts are known and potential witnesses are available.
G. To the extent possible, the complaint shall be treated as confidential. (Ord. 634-2018, 1-15-2018; amd. Ord. 654-2020, 1-20-2020)