McCook Public Transit Title VI

Title VI Notice

Title 49 CFR Section 21.9(d) requires City of McCook Public Transit (CMPT) to provide Notice to the Public (PDF) regarding its obligations under DOT's Title VI regulations and apprise members of the public of the protections against discrimination afforded to them by Title VI.

Title VI Complaint Procedures

Any person who believes they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin by City of McCook Public Transit (CMPT) may file a complaint by completing and submitting the Title VI Complaint Form (PDF). These forms are available upon request by visiting or contacting the agency using the contact information below. CMPT forwards all Title VI complaints of discrimination to the Nebraska Department of Roads Rail and Public Transit section for review. Only complaints received no more than 180 days following the alleged incident will be subject to investigation.

All Title VI and related statute complaints are considered formal—there is no informal process. Complaints must be made in writing and signed by the complainant on the form (PDF) provided. Complaints received by telephone will be placed in writing and provided to the complainant for confirmation or revision and signing prior to processing. For assistance filing a complaint in a language other than English, complainants may contact the agency by phone, and an interpreter will be provided to assist the individual as necessary.

Complaints may be filed by the affected individual or a representative of that individual. Complaints must include the complainant's name, address, and telephone number, and should specify all incidences and circumstances of the alleged discrimination. Allegations must be based on issues involving race, color, or national origin.

Complaints may be filed with the agency using the following contact information:

City of McCook Public Transit
Attn: Title VI Transit Manager
1312 W. 5th Street
McCook, NE 69001
(308)-345-6098
Email McCook Title VI Transit Manager

Complainants who do not wish to file with the transit agency may contact the Nebraska Department of Roads to receive assistance filing a complaint. NDOR can also assist individuals in submitting a Title VI Complaint (PDF) in a language other than English. NDOR can be contacted using the following information:

Nebraska Department of Roads
Attn: Title VI Transit Manager
1500 Highway 2
Lincoln, NE 68502
(402)-479-4694
Email NDOR Title VI Transit Manager

Complaints may also be filed with the Federal Transit Administration at the following address:

Federal Transit Administration
Office of Civil Rights
Attn: Title VI Program Coordinator
East Building, 5th Floor-TCR
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590

As stated above, if a complaint is received by CMPT, we will submit the complaint to the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) for review. Upon receipt of the complaint, the NDOR Transit Section will notify the Federal Transit Administration that a complaint has been filed. The NDOR Transit Manager or other investigator will contact the complainant to:

• Acknowledge receipt of the complaint by the investigator.
• Confirm the complainant received adequate assistance to file the complaint
• Confirm that the complainant wishes to proceed with the complaint.
• Confirm the existence of allegations that require investigation and/or resolution.
• Gather additional facts and further clarify the complaint.

The complainant will be notified in writing that the complaint was received and will be reviewed by the NDOR Transit Section and FTA Region VII, with the involvement of CMPT. If the complaint is determined to have validity, it will be investigated. As part of the review, the investigator will, at minimum:

• Gather relevant documentation from the complainant that was not included in the complaint, such as forms, memos, letters, and photographs;
• Maintain a log of all activities associated with the complaint;
• Complete an investigative report containing information, findings, photos, and recommendations for corrective action, to be submitted to FTA.

A copy of the complaint, together with a copy of NDOR's investigative report, shall be forwarded to the FTA Region VII Office in Kansas City, MO within 60 days of the date at which the complaint was received by NDOR.

A decision by NDOR to dismiss a complaint can be made for the following reasons:

• The complaint was not filed within 180 days.
• The complaint is not covered by the Title VI statutes for which NDOR is responsible.
• The complaint does not allege any harm covered under the statutes for which NDOR is responsible.
• The complainant requests the withdrawal of the complaint.
• The complainant fails to respond to repeat, documented requests for additional information needed to process the complaint.
• The complainant cannot be located after documented reasonable attempts.

A log will be maintained which is to include the following information:

• The date the complaint/lawsuit was filed.
• A summary of the allegation(s).
• The status of the investigation.
• The actions taken by the recipient/subrecipient in response to the complaint/lawsuit and investigation.
• Documentation to be retained includes the complaint form and a summary of findings.

After the investigator reviews the complaint, she/he will issue one of two letters to the complainant: a closure letter or a letter of finding (LOF). A closure letter summarizes the allegations and states that there was not a Title VI violation and the complaint will be closed. An LOF summarizes the allegations and interviews regarding the alleged incident and explains whether any disciplinary action, additional training of the staff member, or other action will occur. If the complainant wished to appeal the decision, she/he has 30 days following the closure letter or LOF to do so.

For additional questions regarding CMPT's Title VI complaints procedure or Civil Rights Program, individuals may contact the transit agency at the contact information provided above. For more information on NDOR's Title VI complaints procedure or Civil Rights Program, individuals may contact NDOR at the address provided.