The Americans with Disabilities Act

PUBLIC NOTICE UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Cotati will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. 

Employment: City of Cotati does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under title I of the ADA.

Effective Communication: City of Cotati will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in City of Cotati’s programs, services, and activities, to make information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: City of Cotati will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities.  For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in City of Cotati offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of City of Cotati, should contact the office of the City Clerk at Cotati City Hall, 201 West Sierra Avenue, Cotati or kepatterson@cotaticity.gov as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the City of Cotati to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden. 

Complaints that a program, service, or activity of City of Cotati is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the City Clerk at Cotati City Hall, 201 West Sierra Avenue, Cotati or kepatterson@cotaticity.gov.

City of Cotati will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.

Grievance Procedure under The Americans with Disabilities Act

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 Cotati.  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 an audio 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:                                               

City Clerk/ADA Coordinator 
City Hall
201 West Sierra Avenue, 
Cotati, CA 94931

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the City Clerk 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 City Clerk or his/her designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print or audio recording.  The response will explain the position of the City and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by the City Clerk 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 Manager or his/her designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Manager 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 Manager 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.

All written complaints received by the City Clerk or his/her designee, appeals to the City Manager or his/her designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the City of Cotati for at least three years.