Adopt Resolution Approving City-Wide Nondiscrimination Plan, in Accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Other Authorities to Ensure Federal and State Grant Compliance (ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS)

It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving an updated Non-Discrimination Program for the City of Fort Worth in accordance with Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and other authorities to ensure Federal and State Grant compliance and authorizing the City Manager or his designee to sign the official Program, to designate one or more Title VI coordinators, and to update the policy as needed to make minor, non-substantive revisions and to reflect changes in applicable federal or state law.

The purpose of this Mayor and Council Communication (M&C) is to enact a citywide Title VI compliance program for use in all City, state and federal grants.

The City is required, under Title VI and other federal legislation, to ensure that individuals, groups, and organizations are protected from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, and certain other identified characteristics or statuses as a condition of acceptance of state or federal aid.  The City receives substantial federal and state grant funding and other federal financial assistance each year.  In the past, individual departments and programs receiving grants have adopted case-specific Title VI programs rather than a program that applies Citywide. In order to ensure uniformity Citywide, a more encompassing Title VI plan has been drafted that is intended to meet the needs of all departments within the City that apply for grants.

With guidance and feedback from the Texas Department of Transportation Division of Civil Rights and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, staff has drafted an updated Title VI Program for the City. The City's updated Title VI Program includes nondiscrimination Assurances and a policy statement; citizen engagement plans, including for those with limited English proficiency; procedures for addressing external and internal discrimination complaints; and the City's nondiscrimination self-monitoring process.  The Program also provides for the identification of one or more Title VI Coordinators charged with working with all departments to ensure compliance.

The attached resolution being presented to the City Council for adoption sets out the basic framework of the Program with program- or grant-specific requirements being added as appendices or addenda to the core Program document.  The resolution also authorizes the City Manager or his designee to sign the official Program, including any updates, to verify their official status and to modify the Program as needed to make minor, non-substantive revisions and to reflect changes in applicable federal or state law.

This M&C does not request approval of a contract with a business entity.