Title VI Compliance

Town of Mount Pleasant Title VI Policy Statement

It is the policy of the town of Mt Pleasant to comply with all federal and state authorities requiring nondiscrimination, including but not limited to the Title VI of the civil rights act of 1964, the civil rights restoration act of 1987, section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, the Americans with disability act of 1990 (ADA), the age discrimination act of 1975 and the executive order 12898 (Environmental justice) and the 13166 (limited English proficiency). The town does not and will not exclude from participation in; deny the benefits of; or subject anyone to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability or income.

All federally-assisted programs will be administered in a manner to guarantee that the Town, sub-recipients, contractors, subcontractors, transferees and other participants in the Federal financial assistance comply with all requirements imposed by or pursuant to, civil rights act and applicable state and federal. The Town is responsible for initiating and monitoring Title IV activities, preparing required reports and other Town responsibilities as required, from time to time, by any applicable state or federal regulation.

* Those requiring information in alternative formats or in a language subject to the Town’s limited English proficiency (LEP) plan, should contact the Title VI Program Coordinator

Declaración Política Título VI del Pueblo de Mount Pleasant

Es la política del Pueblo de Mount Pleasant cumplir con todas las autoridades federales y estatales que requieren la no discriminación, incluyendo pero no limitado al Título VI del Acta de Derechos Civiles de 1964, Acta de Restauración de los Derechos Civiles de 1987, Sección 504 del Acta de Rehabilitación de 1973, El Acta de Americanos con Discapacidades de 1990 (ADA), El Acta de Discriminación por Edad de 1975 y la Orden Ejecutiva 12898 (Justicia Ambiental) y el 13166 (Dominio Limitado del Inglés). El pueblo de Mount Pleasant no excluye ni excluira de la participación en; negar los beneficios de; o someter a cualqier persona a discriminación por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, sexo, edad, discapacidad o ingresos.

Todos los programas de asistencia Federal serán administrados de manera que garanticen que el Pueblo, los subreceptores, los contratistas, los subcontratistas, los cesionarios y otros participantes en asistencia Financiera Federal cumplan con todos los requisitos impuestos por o de conformidad con la ley de derechos civiles, estatal y federal. El Pueblo es responsable de iniciar y supervisar las actividades del Título VI, preparar los informes requeridos y otras responsabilidades del Pueblo según sea necesario, de vez en cuando, por cualquier regulación estatal o federal aplicable.

* Aquellos que requieran información en formatos alternativos o en un idioma sujeto al plan de dominio limitado de Inglés (LEP) del Pueblo, deben ponerse en contacto con el Enlace del Título VI.

Title VI Complaint Procedures

The Title VI Complaint Procedures apply to complaints filed under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, relating to any program and/or activity administered by the Town of Mount Pleasant or its sub-recipients, consultants, and/or contractors. Intimidation or retaliation of any kind is prohibited by law.

These procedures do not deny the right of the complainant to file formal complaints with other State or Federal agencies, or to seek private counsel for complaints alleging discrimination. These procedures are part of an administrative process that does not provide for remedies that include punitive damages or compensatory remuneration for the complainant.

Every effort will be made to obtain early resolution of complaints at the lowest possible level. The option of informal mediation meeting(s) between the affected parties and the investigator may be utilized for resolution, at any stage of the process. The Town of Mount Pleasant will make every effort to pursue a resolution of the complaint. Initial interviews with the complainant and the respondent will include requests for information regarding specific relief and settlement options.

To file a formal complaint, please contact the Town of Mount Pleasant’s Title VI Coordinator, Dana Henderson, at dhenderson@tompsc.com or 843-884-8517.

Title VI Notice of Protections Against Discrimination

The Town of Mount Pleasant operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and national origin. Any person who believes that she or he has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with The Town of Mount Pleasant at the address shown below.

Individuals wishing to request and / or receive additional information on its discrimination obligations, including its complaint procedures, please contact the person listed below or visit the administrative office at the address listed below:

Title VI Program Coordinator, Dana Henderson
100 Ann Edwards Lane
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29464
Telephone: (843) 884-8517
Website: www.tompsc.com

Individuals wishing to file a discrimination complaint under Title VI: the written complaint must be filed to the address above within less than 180 days of the alleged discrimination. Written complaints may also be filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) no later than 180 days after the date of the alleged discrimination, unless the time for filing is extended by FHWA, at the following address:

Federal Highway Administration
FHWA Headquarters Office of Civil Rights
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE (HCR-40)
Washington, DC 20590

To accommodate limited English proficient individuals, oral complaints to be documented and/or translated may also be given at the above address.

Town of Mount Pleasant Public Participation Plan

Introduction

This section details how the Town manages the Public Participation process for major transportation projects. These guidelines are utilized in the planning and project development process. They are intended to ensure an opportunity for all parties interested to make comments, ask questions, make suggestions, and participate in Town funded transportation projects. Implementation of these guidelines will permit meaningful and direct impact on the decision-making process that occurs during project planning and development processes.

Public Participation Plan

The following guidelines outline the Town’s public involvement policy:

At the beginning of a project, all project stake holders will be identified and will receive notice of the impending project development process;
Increase the direct notification area to include a wider range of properties surrounding the project area, depending on the size and scope of the project;
Create a project mailing list database to include other agencies such as the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Office of Coastal Resource Management, the Federal Highway Administration, Charleston County, Mount Pleasant Waterworks, and other utility companies;
Offer additional informal public information meetings prior to the public hearing(s) and hold the meetings at churches, schools, and other public places near the road project to permit increased participation by those citizens directly affected by the project;
Increase advertisement of public meetings and hearings through other media including community newsletters, radio, TV, flyers, notification signs in the project area and at Town Council meetings;
During public information meetings, request that all attendees fill out a sign-in sheet that notes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and relevant demographic information;
Supplement the project mailing list with the attendee sign-in sheets and notify these people of upcoming meeting/hearings;
Encourage all suggestions, questions, concerns be submitted in writing on a comment sheet at the meeting to permit Staff to provide written responses which we be available to the public;
Staff will make notes on issues during the public meetings so that they can be addressed even if a comment card is not filled out;
On large, more complicated projects, offer two (or more) public hearings after the public information meeting process is over. The initial public hearing will offer information on the project and provide both council members and citizens an opportunity to ask questions and raise issues. The second public hearing gives staff the opportunity to provide responses to questions and issues. These responses should be made available at Town Hall prior to the hearing.

Implementation of these actions may depend on the size and scope of a transportation project. When the project manager is developing the scope of work for the project development phase (engineering), he/she should refine the public involvement process in accordance with the project magnitude. This approach, a project specific public involvement program which can maximize input from all stake holders.

The Town will categorize the types of public involvement required for different project magnitudes as follows:

Minor—Representative projects include turn lane additions, signal installations, and other such roadway improvements. These improvements are typically isolated to one intersection or location, can be constructed primarily in existing right-of-way, and may affect only several adjacent properties with respect to acquisition and/or permissions. The costs of these projects will typically not exceed $1,000,000. Public participation for these projects will involve direct notification and coordination with any affected adjacent property owner. No public meetings are anticipated for these types of projects.

Intermediate—Representative projects include roadway widenings and new alignment projects that add capacity to a significant portion of the collector/arterial road network and affect multiple property owners. The cost of these projects typically exceeds several million dollars and requires multiple acquisitions and/or permissions. Public participation for these projects will involve all the actions listed above, to include at least one public hearing.

Major—The primary difference between intermediate and major projects relates to the cost of the project. A $10,000,000 project cost threshold defines major projects. Public participation for these projects will involve all the actions listed above to include two or more public hearing(s) before Town Council.

All documents for transportation project public meetings will contain the Town’s nondiscrimination statement. To engage minority, disabled or LEP persons, public notices for transportation projects will also have the following statement in English and Spanish:

“For additional information regarding this project or for persons with disabilities or limited English capability that may require special accommodations or assistance, please contact the Town of Mount Pleasant Transportation Department at 843-856-3080.”

Plan for Language Assistance to Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Awareness of Limited English Proficiency has grown in recent years and the Town of Mount Pleasant is committed to providing quality services to all Mount Pleasant citizens. Mount Pleasant has developed the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) policy to help identify reasonable steps to provide language assistance for LEP citizens as required by Executive Order 13166. An LEP person is one who does not speak English as their primary language and who has limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English.

Strategies listed below are the result of a four-factor analysis performed by the Town. Strategies to provide meaningful access to LEP persons to ensure that they can communicate effectively will be achieved by measures including but not limited to:

Training staff on resources available to the Town to communicate with LEP individuals
Providing notices that LEP individuals can understand so they may engage other communication techniques
Utilize bilingual police department personnel to communicate with LEP individuals
Utilize computer-based communication tools
Utilize smartphone and portable tablet based interpretation applications on an as-needed basis