ACCG and GMA staff met with leadership from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) on Thursday, November 10 to discuss the Title II (ADA) and Title VI (Nondiscrimination Agreement) requests.  Below is a summary of the outcome of that meeting.

 

ADA Plan

GDOT must have on record a copy of every county’s initial ADA Transition Plan, or its most recent version.  Counties were required to prepare the initial ADA plan by January 1995. However, we have been informed by GDOT that the copy of the plan does not have to be submitted by the deadline of November 30, 2011 as stated in their October 19, 2011 request.  If the county does not have a copy to send prior to that date, GDOT is requesting the county still complete the “ADA Self-Evaluation” form that was attached to the original letter.  On that letter, please indicate when the county expects to provide the plan to the department.  This is important in the event GDOT is audited by the federal government since the department will be able to demonstrate it is complying with the federal ADA law.  If your county does have a plan, then send that in at your earliest convenience.

 

ACCG has also compiled additional resources to help counties with creating the ADA Transition Plan.  You can access them here. 

 

For questions about the Title II program, please contact GDOT ADA Coordinator Cartrell Kelson-Jackson at (404) 631-1272 or ckelson-jackson@dot.ga.gov.

 

Nondiscrimination Agreement

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires all counties receiving federal funds to sign a Nondiscrimination Agreement to ensure continued distribution of transportation funds to Georgia counties.  However, the agreement form previously provided to counties by GDOT was not entirely appropriate for local government use.  As such, GDOT has requested that ACCG provide any recommended changes we may have to the form agreement. The intent would be to clarify and revise it to more appropriately fit local government circumstances.  The department will then meet with FHWA to discuss local government concerns and request permission to amend the document as proposed. GDOT will continue to request the current Nondiscrimination Agreement form from counties until FWHA gives them permission to make any amendments. 

 

If you have any concerns about the current Nondiscrimination Agreement form, please email your comments to Matt Hicks at mhicks@accg.org as soon as possible. 

 

For questions about the Title VI program, please contact GDOT Title VI/Environmental Justice Specialist Adoreau Jouett at (404) 631-1497.