§ 2-16-2 - OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
(A) The Office of Civil Rights is created as an administrative department and shall report to the city manager.
(B) The city manager shall appoint the director of the Office of Civil Rights, who shall supervise and direct all activities of the office and who shall serve as the Civil Rights Officer for the City of Austin.
(C) The office is designated a local commission as provided in Chapter 21 to exercise the powers and duties provided in that chapter.
(D) The office is authorized to:
(1) obtain and take actions to maintain the City's certification as a substantial equivalent in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Housing Assistance Program;
(2) investigate and settle complaints of discriminatory housing practices which are violations of local, state and federal law;
(3) provide rights and remedies substantially equivalent to those granted under federal law; and
(4) accept housing discrimination complaints referred by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission.
(E) In carrying out its duties, the office shall:
(1) educate and inform the public concerning civil rights laws, including those relating to equal employment, disability, fair housing, fair chance hiring, protections for individuals living with HIV, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employment by city contractors, and the role of the office in enforcing such laws and the procedures for making complaints of violations of such laws;
(2) adopt administrative procedures to receive, investigate, and conciliate discrimination complaints made under a local civil rights law;
(3) act to remedy a violation of a local civil rights law as authorized in this Code;
(4) cooperate with and provide technical and other assistance to federal, state, local, and other public or private entities that are designing or operating programs to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices;
(5) cooperate with law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction within the City to develop and include civil rights courses in the curriculum of licensed peace officer training; and
(6) provide a report at least annually to the council and the public on the results of its activities.
(F) The director shall:
(1) adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 1-2 (Adoption of Rules);
(a) to administer and implement this chapter; and
(b) that are substantially equivalent to those provided in federal fair housing and equal opportunity laws and regulations;
(2) maintain the office in compliance with the requirements applicable to a local commission under Chapter 21;
(3) direct and oversee all personnel and activities of the Office of Civil Rights;
(4) issue subpoenas and subpoena duces tecum to compel attendance of witnesses and production of records, and order discovery in the aid of investigations and hearings under local civil rights laws, to the same extent and subject to the same limitations as subpoenas and discovery in a civil action in district court and to carry out the responsibilities of the office;
(5) organize administrative hearings as necessary;
(6) authorize civil actions for violations of local civil rights laws;
(7) have access to city records necessary to carry out the purposes of local civil rights laws; and
(8) make recommendations as appropriate to the city manager, city attorney, and the city council concerning local civil rights laws.
(G) Information and records concerning complaints and individual complainants shall not be disclosed to the public, unless disclosure is required by Texas Government Code Chapter 552 (Public Information). This prohibition does not apply to records of a complaint for which the director has initiated a civil enforcement action after a failure to reach conciliation.
Source: Ord. No. 20211202-030, Pt. 2, 12-13-21.
