Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

“No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to the discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Title VI Notice

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 United States Code § 2000d) and Tennessee Code Annotated §4-21-904 states that any entity receiving Federal Financial Assistance may not discriminate against program beneficiaries based on their race, color or national origin.

If you think you have been discriminated against based on race, color, or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 you can file a complaint with:

April Curlin
Title VI Coordinator
City of Brentwood
5211 Maryland Way
Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: (615)-371-0060

Or

Tennessee Human Rights Commission
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
312 Rosa L. Parks Ave. │ 23rd Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: 800.251.3589

Complaint Procedures

1. Submission of Complaint. Any individual or group may file a written complaint with the City of Brentwood Title VI Coordinator. The mailing address and contact information follows:

City of Brentwood
April Curlin, HR Director
5211 Maryland Way
Brentwood, TN 37027
Pone: (615)-371-0060
Fax: (615) 577-6124

The complaint must be filed within 180 calendar days after the date the alleged discrimination occurred. A complaint form is available in hard copy from the Title VI Coordinator. Upon request, assistance will be provided to any person(s) unable to read or write English.

The complaint form must be as complete as possible and must meet the following requirements:

a. Complaint shall be in writing and signed by the complainant(s).
b. Include the date of the alleged act of discrimination.
c. Present a detailed description of the issues.
d. Allegations received by fax or email will be acknowledged and processed, once the identity(ies) of the complaint(s) and the intent to proceed with the complaint have been established to the satisfaction of the Title VI Coordinator.
e. Allegations received by telephone will be reduced to writing and provided to the complainant for confirmation or revision before processing. A complaint form will be forwarded to the complainant for him/her to complete, sign, and return for processing.

2. Receipt of Complaint. Within fifteen (15) days after receiving a complaint, the Title VI coordinator will a) forward a copy of the complaint to the appropriate, designated State and Federal agencies for an ADA complaint, and b) send a written acknowledgement to the complainant advising that the complaint will be investigated.

In order to be accepted, a complaint must involve a covered basis such as race, color, national origin, gender, disability, or retaliation and the allegation(s) must involve a program or activity of a Federal-aid recipient, sub recipient, or contractor, or, in the case of ADA allegations, an entity open to the public.

A complaint may be dismissed for the following reasons:

a. The complainant requests the withdrawal of the complaint.
b. The complainant fails to respond to the repeated requests for additional information.
c. The complainant cannot be located after reasonable attempts.

3. Review. The Title VI Coordinator in consultation with the City Attorney and City Manager will investigate the complaint. The review will be completed within forty-five (45) days after the City of Brentwood has received the complaint. The Title VI Coordinator will make every effort to pursue a resolution to the complaint.

4. Complaint Decision. At the conclusion of the review, the Title VI Coordinator will issue a recommendation to the City Manager regarding the merits of the complaint. The City Manager will make the final decision. The Title VI Coordinator, in consultation with the City Attorney and based on the City Manager’s decision, will issue the City’s response to the complainant(s) and any respondent(s), if applicable (a respondent may be any sub recipient, consultant or contractor named in the complaint).

The final investigative report and a copy of the complaint will be forwarded to the appropriate State and Federal agencies and affected parties within 60 calendar days of the acceptance of the complaint.

5. Requests for Reconsideration. If the complainant does not request reconsideration, the City Manager's decision is final. If the complainant disagrees with the City Manager’s decision, he or she may request reconsideration by submitting a request within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the response to the Title VI Coordinator. The Title VI Coordinator, in consultation with the City Attorney, will have ten (10) days to either reaffirm or reverse the original recommendation. The City Manager will then have ten (10) days to reaffirm or revise his or her original decision. Written notice of the City Manager’s final decision will be provided to the complainant and respondent.

6. Settlement. If the final determination supports the complainant’s allegation(s), the Title VI Coordinator and the City Attorney will attempt to negotiate an amicable settlement of the issues in dispute. Formal, written settlement agreements will be submitted to the City Manager for approval and execution, or where required by the City’s Charter or Code, to the City’s Board of Commissioners for approval and execution by the Mayor.

7. Submission of Complaint to the appropriate state or federal agency. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the City of Brentwood’s resolution of the complaint, he or she may also submit a written complaint to the state of appropriate federal agency in accordance with the requirements of the state or federal agency. Note: Complaints must be filed with federal agencies no later than 10 days after the alleged discrimination occurred. Prompt action after receiving the City of Brentwood’s final response is necessary to ensure review by state or federal agencies.

Tennessee Human Rights Commission
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
312 Rosa L Parks Ave. | 23rd floor
Nashville, TN 37243
(800) 251-3589
(615) 253-1886 (fax)

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
220 Athens Way
Suite 350
Nashville, TN 37228-9940
(629) 236-2240(615) 736-2107 (fax)

8. Confidentiality. To the extent feasible, confidentiality shall be maintained during the formal and informal investigation process.

9. Investigation records. Records will be maintained in accordance to applicable Federal guidelines, or in their absence, applicable state guidelines.