Nondiscrimination and Accessibility
Statement and Notice of Nondiscrimination
The City of Grand Junction (City) is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or service that it provides. The City will not tolerate intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination against any individual or group. The City will take reasonable steps to ensure Grand Junction residents and other members of the community have access to all services provided by the City and will receive and have investigated any allegations of discrimination. The City further states its commitment to compliance with Federal civil rights laws and is committed to providing its programs and services without discrimination in accordance with:
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin (including language).
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination based on disability.
- Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities.
- Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination based on age.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulation 6 C.F.R. Part 19, which prohibits discrimination based on religion in social service programs.
The City will not restrict an individual in any way from the enjoyment of any advantage or privilege enjoyed by others receiving any service, financial aid, or other benefits under any of its programs, regardless of the funding source for the program. Individuals may not be subjected to criteria or methods of administration which cause adverse impact because of their race, color, or national origin, or have the effect of defeating or substantially impairing the accomplishment of the objectives of the program because of race, color, or national origin.
The City will not tolerate intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination against any individual or group for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege guaranteed under law or regulations, or because the individual has filed a complaint or has testified, assisted, or participated in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing or has opposed any City action or decision.
The City will take reasonable measures to provide access to services for individuals with limited ability to speak, write, or understand English and/or for those with disabilities.
Filing a Complaint
If someone believes they have suffered from discrimination under a City program, they may contact the City’s Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator to seek an informal resolution. If the matter cannot be resolved informally, the following steps will be followed:
- Within 180 days of the alleged discrimination, complainants may submit a written or verbal complaint to the Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator. Complaints must include the complainant’s name, the nature of the complaint, the dates of the complaint, the requested action, and contact information. Complaint forms are available in English and Spanish.
- The Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator will review the complaint and may solicit additional information from the complainant as needed. If additional information is requested and not received, the case may be closed. The case may also be closed if the complainant no longer wishes to pursue their case.
- If the complaint is outside the jurisdiction of the City, the complainant will be notified of the name and contact information for the appropriate agency with jurisdiction, if known.
Complaint Processing
If the complaint is within the jurisdiction of the City, or an informal resolution was not possible, it will be promptly and impartially investigated. The City’s goal is to address complaints within 60 days of receipt, though the time to carefully investigate complaints may be longer depending on the nature of the complaint and the complexity of the issue.
Preliminary Inquiry:
The City will conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine the need for further investigation.
- The City will notify the complainant in writing that a preliminary inquiry is underway to determine the need for further investigation.
- If the preliminary inquiry by the City indicates that an investigation is warranted, the complainant will be notified in writing and an interview will be scheduled.
- If the preliminary inquiry indicates an investigation is not warranted, the complainant will be notified in writing of the reasons why and factors considered.
Complaint Investigation:
- Complaints warranting further investigation will be promptly and impartially processed by the City’s Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator. The results of the investigation will be provided to the City’s Human Resources Director for review.
- The complainant will be notified in writing of the results of the investigation and what actions will be/have been taken in response and a timeline to request review.
Reasonable Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities
NOTICE
The City of Grand Junction (City) is committed to providing individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from the City’s programs, activities, and services.
Individuals may request reasonable accommodations from the City that they believe will enable them to have such equal opportunity to participate in our programs, activities, and services.
To request reasonable accommodations, contact the Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator at risk@gjcity.org or by calling 970-244-1561.
Access to Persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) or Disability
The City of Grand Junction will take reasonable steps to ensure access to all people and that accommodation is available to facilitate the participation of those persons with English language proficiency and/or disability.
According to census data results from July 1, 2021, the total population of Grand Junction is 66,964, with 7.5 percent of the population speaking languages other than English. To ensure effective communication or an equal opportunity to participate fully in the decision-making process resources are directed through the City's Translation and Interpretation protocol:
- Professional translation of public-facing documents and online content
- Translation available on the City website and social media platforms
- Live interpretation for public events and interactions
- Assistive technology devices (city-issued smartphones and iPads) with the Language Line app account allowing live on-demand video interpreters 24 hours per day for 240+ languages including American Sign Language
- Access to LanguageLine interpretation over the telephone.
To learn more, please go to the full version of the Language Access Plan.
Language Access printable brochure.
Accessibility Statement
The City of Grand Junction is committed to providing electronic communication that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website. We seek to conform to level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) WCAG. Our conformance with these guidelines will help make our website more user-friendly for all visitors. Please be patient as we upgrade older pages and documents.
If you have issues accessing any files or if any of the file formats prevent you from accessing information, please contact a member of City staff for assistance and/or to schedule an appointment to review a document or file in person. We welcome your questions as well as your input on how to improve accessibility.
If you are in need of accommodation to access City services or we are unable to provide information in a format that meets your needs (e.g. mapping, construction/development plans, or to complete an application or other documentation), the City has a number of resources available.
For languages other than English, please use the Google Translate button available on the bottom right corner of each page of the City website
- Interpretation via live remote on-demand video, including ASL, is available in-person at all City Customer Service windows and during in-person appointments scheduled with City staff
- To schedule an appointment to review a file or complete documentation, please contact the specific department.
- For assistance with determining which department may provide information, or for help scheduling an in-person document review, call 970-244-1501
- For TTY, dial 800-659-2656 or 711 for the relay service or use the TTY mode on your cell phone
If you use assistive technology (such as a Braille reader, a screen reader, or TTY) and the format of any material on this website interferes with your ability to access information, please contact us. To enable us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please indicate the nature of your accessibility problem, the preferred format in which to receive the material, the web address of the requested material, and your contact information.
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Grand Junction will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs or activities.
Employment: The City of Grand Junction 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: The City of Grand Junction will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in the programs, services, and activities.
Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The City of Grand Junction 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 the City of Grand Junction offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.
The ADA does not require the City of Grand Junction 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 the City of Grand Junction is not accessible to persons with disabilities may be filed online by completing a complaint form. (see more detailed description under Grievance Procedure). Grievances may also be directed by telephone or in-person to the Nondiscrimation and Accessibility Coordinator.
The City of Grand Junction 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.
ADA Title II - Notice & Grievance Procedure
The City of Grand Junction hereby adopts this internal grievance procedure to provide for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action that is prohibited by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (hereinafter "ADA").
Individuals with a grievance regarding access to programs, services, or facilities of the City may file a written grievance on the City website using the ADA Complaint Form. the form will be forwarded to the Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator and you will be contacted.
Disabled persons requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator at 970-244-1561 or in-person by calling for an appointment at City Hall 250 N. 5th St. The City of Grand Junction's communications regarding grievances will be provided in a format that is accessible to the complainant.
Complaint Procedure
The procedure to file a grievance is as follows:
- A written grievance should be filed through the Nondiscrimination & Accessibility Process Complaint Form online. If requested, assistance with the process will be provided.
- An oral grievance can be filed by contacting the Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator. The oral grievance will be documented in writing by City staff and will be authorized by the complainant.
- The grievance will be responded to or acknowledged within 20 working days of receipt from complainant.
- Within 60 calendar days of receipt, City staff will conduct an investigation necessary to determine the validity of the alleged violation. If appropriate, the Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator will arrange to meet and/or otherwise discuss with the complainant the matter and attempt to reach, or mediate, a resolution of the grievance.
- If an informal resolution or mediation of the grievance is not reached, a written determination as to the validity of the complaint and description of the resolution, if appropriate, shall be issued by the City Attorney's office and a copy forwarded to the complainant no later than 90 days from the date of the City's receipt of the grievance.
- The complainant may request reconsideration if he/she is dissatisfied with the written determination. The request for reconsideration shall be in writing and filed with the City of Grand Junction Attorney's office, 250 N. 5th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501, within 30 days after the Attorney's determination has been mailed to the complainant. The City of Grand Junction Attorney's Office shall review the request for reconsideration and make a final determination within 90 days from the filing of the request for reconsideration.
- If the complainant is dissatisfied with the City's handling of the grievance at any stage of the process or does not wish to file a grievance by utilizing the City's ADA Grievance Procedure, the complainant may file a grievance directly with the United States Department of Justice or other appropriate state or federal agency. Use of the City's grievance procedure is not a prerequisite to the pursuit of other remedies.
The resolution of any specific complaint will require consideration of varying circumstances, such as, the specific nature of the disability, the nature of the access to services, programs, or facilities at issue and the essential eligibility requirements for participation. Also, areas to consider would be the health and safety of others, the degree to which an accommodation would constitute a fundamental alteration to the program, service, or facility, or cause an undue hardship to the City. Accordingly, the resolution by the City of any one grievance does not constitute a precedent upon which the City is bound or upon which other complaining parties may rely.
File Maintenance
The City of Grand Junction shall maintain all ADA grievance files for a period of three years.
Contact Us
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Jordan Salazar
Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Coordinator
250 N. 5th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501
E-mail : risk@gjcity.org
Phone : 970-254-3838