(A) Any person who believes that he has been subjected to discrimination as prohibited by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, may personally or by a representative, file a complaint with the office of the City Administrative Officer. A person who has not personally been subjected to discrimination may also file a complaint.
(B) When any person who believes he has been adversely effected by an act or decision by the city, and that the act or decision was based on handicapped status, shall have the right to process a complaint or grievance in accordance with the following procedure:
(1) Step One. An aggrieved person must submit a written statement to the City Administrative Officer setting forth the nature of the discrimination alleged and facts upon which the allegation is based.
(2) Step Two. The City Administrative Officer shall contact the complainant no later than 15 days after receiving the written statement to establish an informal meeting with the objective of resolving the matter informally. However, in no case shall the informal meeting be conducted sooner than five days nor more than 45 days after receiving the written statement. There shall be prepared a written documentary of the discussions at the informal meeting, which shall be preserved in the records of the city.
(3) Step Three. Within 15 days of the informal meeting, if no decision has been made by the City Administrative Officer or the decision of the City Administrative Officer does not satisfy the complainant, he may request a hearing with the City Council by submitting a written request to the Mayor.
(4) Step Four. In discussing the grievance, the complainant may designate any person of his choice to appear with him and participate in the discussion. The City Council shall require the Mayor to participate in the discussion of the grievance when it is brought before the Council. The Council shall issue a written decision on the matter within 15 days, and the decision shall be the final procedure for the complainant at the local level. There shall be prepared a written documentary of the discussion at the hearing, which shall be preserved in the records of the city.
('88 Code, § 39.04) (Ord. 1984-16, passed 10-15-84; Am. Ord. 2001-05, passed 8-29-01)