HomeMy WebLinkAboutA028 - October 28, 2025, Regular Meeting of the Ames City CouncilITEM #:
DATE:10-28-25
DEPT:ADMIN
SUBJECT:COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN AMES HUMAN RELATIONS
COMMISSION AND IOWA OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS (FORMERLY KNOWN
AS THE IOWA CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION)
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
BACKGROUND:
The City, on behalf of the Ames Human Relations Commission (AHRC), has regularly
contracted with the Iowa Office of Civil Rights (IOCR) to manage the intake and resolution of
civil rights complaints. Under this agreement, IOCR pays the City a set amount for each
complaint form sent to the IOCR (see agreement attached). The agreement allows the
City to use these resources to assist complainants with obtaining and filling out
complaint forms and ensuring they are complete and valid.
IOCR has presented a new agreement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. The Ames
Human Relations Commission has reviewed this agreement and recommends City Council
approval.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve the cooperative agreement between the Ames Human Relations Commission
and Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
2. Do not approve the agreement.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
This agreement formalizes the mechanisms in which the IOCR will investigate and
resolve civil rights complaints. IOCR will compensate the City of Ames for acting as the
intake agent under this agreement. The City, AHRC, and IOCR have maintained this
arrangement for several years. Transferring this time-consuming investigation
responsibility to the IOCR will allow the AHRC to focus on connecting and supporting
all communities in Ames. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the
City Council adopt Alternative No. 1, as described above.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Letter from Kristen Stiffler.pdf
Local K FY26 - Non-Binding Copy.docx.pdf
1
STATE OF IOWA
KIM REYNOLDS, GOVERNOR KRISTEN STIFFLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Oct 24, 2025
Re: FY 2026 Cooperative Agreement Proposals
Dear Director/Chair Person:
Enclosed please find the FY2026 proposed cooperative ag reement. Please review the contract
carefully as it has been recently updated. I believe these updates and additions will lend to a more
streamlined process for communication between our agencies.Some highlights are:
● Sole use of email for all contractual communications;
● Updated jurisdictional for m to be used for all cross-filed, local agency investigated
complaints;
● One annual report rather than four quarterly reports.
The total amount of funds the Iowa Office of Civil Rights (IOCR) will spend on this program is
$30,000, which will be provided on a first come, first ser ved basis. Once the $30,000 has been
expended, we will no longer be able to provide reimbursement. We will endeavor to let you know if
we get close to using up all of the funding.
If your agency intends to sign a workshare agreement, we must receive the signed agreement no later
than November 15, 2025. This should allow sufficient time for your agency to coordinate and
collect the appropriate signatures as required by your local ordinances or city government.
I hope you will consider taking advantage of this program, which provides an excellent opportunity
for your commission to receive funds from the IOCR, help reduce your caseload/backlog, and does
not obligate your agency to refer any cases to the IOCR beyond those you would like to get
reimbursement for. Those local commissions with direct agreements with the EEOC and/or HUD
will not be eligible for payment by the IOCR if payment is also received by the EEOC or HUD.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Yours ver y tr uly,
/s/ Kristen Stiffler
Kristen Stiffler
Executive Director
Iowa Office of Civil Rights
6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100
Des Moines, IA 50321
kristen.stiff ler@iowa.gov
6200 Park Avenue, Suite. 100, Des Moines, Iowa 50321-1270
515-281-4121 / 1-800-457-4416 / Fax 515-242-5840 2
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
Between ________________________
&
IOWA OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS
1. Definitions: As used in this Cooperative Ag reement the following ter ms are defined as
follows:
a) “IOCR” means the Iowa Office of Civil Rights.
b) “Local agency” means ________________________ and must comply with the
requirements of Iowa Code §216.19.
c) “Fiscal Year 2026” r uns from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
d) “Initial Filing Date” means the local agency file-stamp receipt date shown on the
complaint. All complaints must show a local file-stamp receipt date. Credit may be
rejected for complaints without a local file-stamp receipt date.
e) “Intake” means receipt by the IOCR of a completed, signed, jurisdictional
complaint for m in any area covered by the ICRA, that is forwarded by the local
agency to the IOCR for processing and investigation.
f) “Resolutions” means case closures resulting in final local agency action, including
administrative closures; conciliated and settled cases; satisfactor y adjustments; no
probable cause deter minations, and closures after public hearing.
2. Authority: In order to effectuate the purposes of the “Iowa Civil Rights Act,” (ICRA) the
IOCR now enters into a Cooperative Agreement with the
____________________________. Iowa Code §216.19.
3. Scope: Under this Cooperative Ag reement, IOCR contracts with the
______________________ for the satisfactor y intake and resolution of complaints whose
allegations fall within the prohibitions of Iowa Code §§ 216.6, 216.6A, 216.7, 216.8, 216.8A,
216.8B, 216.8C, 216.9, 216.10, 216.11, and 216.11A. This Cooperative Agreement does not
cover complaints that address allegations outside of these sections of the Iowa Code.
4. Timeliness: This contract recognizes the 300-day filing period for initial complaints, as set
forth in Iowa Code Ch. 216, is measured by the day the complaint is received by the IOCR,
not the day received by the local commission. Therefore, local commissions are responsible
for ensuring that cases are received by the IOCR within 300 days of the date of the
last incident of discrimination in order to preser ve the Complainant’s rights under the
ICRA. There should be no reimbursement expected for complaints received by the IOCR
outside of the 300-day filing period.
3
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
5. Jurisdiction: Any and all complaints submitted for credit and payment must be a
jurisdictional complaint under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
6. Transmittal: Submissions for credit must be made via email to icrc@iowa.g ov, unless
another transmittal option is approved by the Executive Director of the IOCR or designee.
7. IOCR may be required to obtain a full copy of the case file maintained by the local
commission. The copies should be provided to IOCR at no cost and within two weeks of
request, or credit will not be granted.
8. Period: This Cooperative Ag reement will run during Fiscal Year 2026. There is no
commitment on the part of IOCR to contract with the ___________________________
for the resolution of complaints after June 30, 2026.
9. Total Amount: The IOCR shall not spend more than $30,000 as ag gregate compensation
to all contracting local commissions for work perfor med under cooperative agreements for
Fiscal Year 2026. If insufficient funds exist for payment of all cases tendered for payment by
the contracting local agencies, payment shall be allocated on a first-come, first-ser ved basis.
10. Payment Date: IOCR agrees to provide payment on an annual basis based upon
satisfaction of the conditions established in this agreement. Payment will be provided for
work perfor med and accepted under this Ag reement by the IOCR, and for cases cross-filed
with the EEOC or HUD, when credit has been approved by that funding agency (IOCR,
EEOC, or HUD). In the case of payment for intake ser vices, IOCR accepts the work
if/when IOCR opens the complaint file corresponding to the intake. Payment is
conditioned upon execution of this contract which must be accomplished and returned to
the IOCR no later than 11/15/25. Ag reements presented after that date will be rejected by
the IOCR absent approval for late submission by the Executive Director of the IOCR, or
designee.
11. Payment Schedule***:
(a) Intakes: See attached Schedule A for breakdown of reimbursement rates based on
the timing of receipt of the complaint for housing and non-housing referrals to the
IOCR.
(b) Resolutions: See Schedule A (attached) for definitions and rate of payment based on
timing of receipt of the complaint closure documentation.
12. Maintenance of Effor t: Iowa Code §216.19(2) provides that a city with a population of
29,000 or greater shall maintain an independent local civil/human rights agency, shall
str ucture and adequately fund the local human/civil rights agency in order to effect
cooperative undertakings with IOCR and to aid in effectuating the purposes of the “Iowa
Page 2 of 7
4
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
Civil Rights Act,” and when staff is provided, the local agency or commission shall have
control over such staff. The IOCR reser ves the right to deny payment for closures which
appear to have been adversely affected by a failure to comply with this code section or any
other reasonable indication of lack of independence or neutrality by the local agency in its
investigation of the complaint, and such may ser ve as grounds justifying ter mination of this
agreement.
13. Infor mation Sharing: Pursuant to I.A.C r. 161—11.10, the filing of a complaint or
confidential infor mation pertaining to a complaint covered by this agreement may be shared
between the parties to this agreement as part of the routine use of such records, to
administer the program for which the infor mation is collected.
14. Confidentiality: Pursuant to Iowa Code Section 216.15(5), the ____________________
agrees not to disclose the filing of a complaint or confidential infor mation pertaining to a
complaint covered by this agreement until the complaint has been officially set for public
hearing. Once a complaint has been officially set for public hearing, the
_________________________ agrees not to disclose confidential infor mation pertaining to
the complaint that is not publicly available, except as allowed by IOCR’s r ules.
15. Repor ts: The local agency agrees to submit the annual report provided within the invoice
template, listing each intake and resolution submitted for contract credit or payment under
this Agreement. The annual report is due July 3, 2026, for July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026
activity. Payments under this contract will be made after the annual report is completed,
submitted to the IOCR, and verified to meet the conditions described above. Failure to
provide the annual report may result in forfeiture of funds for the contract year. As a
condition of final payment, the local commission must submit, and IOCR must have
received, all complaints no later than June 30, 2026. Cases submitted after June 30, 2026,
will not be paid.
16. Training: IOCR and the local agency will cooperate in planning, sponsoring, and
conducting necessar y complaint processing training for staff and commissioners.
If required by your local protocol, ordinance or practice, separate signature lines have been provided
for your Mayor and Commission Chair.
Mayor Date
Page 3 of 7
5
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
Chair person Date
Executive Director, Iowa Office of Civil Rights Date
Page 4 of 7
6
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
SCHEDULE A
***The following summarizes the payment schedule.
Intake:
(See definition for
Intake below)
Complaint sent to IOCR for processing
and investigation within 7 days (housing)
or 30 days (non-housing) of initial filing
date with local agency.
$500 for housing cases eligible
for cross-filing with HUD;
$250 for employment cases
eligible for cross-filing with
EEOC; $125 for cases not
eligible for cross-filing
Complaint sent to IOCR for processing
and investigation greater than 7 days but
within 30 days (housing); greater than 30
days but within 60 days (non-housing) of
initial filing date with local agency.
$250 for housing cases eligible
for cross-filing with HUD;
$150 for employment cases
eligible for cross-filing with
EEOC; $75 for cases not
eligible for cross-filing
Complaint sent to IOCR for processing
and investigation greater than 30 days
(housing) or 60 days (non-housing) of
initial filing date with local agency.
$0
Resolutions for
Non-housing Cases:
(See definition for
Resolutions below)
Complaint Resolutions sent to IOCR for
closure processing within 180 days of
initial filing date with local agency.
$325 for cases eligible for
cross-filing with EEOC; $100
for cases not eligible for
cross-filing
Complaint Resolutions sent to IOCR for
closure processing g reater than 180 days
but within 600 days of initial filing date
with local agency.
$200 for cases eligible for
cross-filing with EEOC; $50
for cases not eligible for
cross-filing
Complaint Resolutions sent to IOCR for
closure processing g reater than 600 days
of initial filing date with local agency.
$0
Page 5 of 7
7
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
Fur ther Requirements/Infor mation
General
1. For all complaints cross-filed with the IOCR, the jurisdictional review for m provided by the
IOCR must be included, and must be filled out fully and accurately. The most recent version
of this for m is attached to this contract. All infor mation noted on the jurisdictional review
documentation must be provided to the IOCR with the intake documentation.
2. Any complaint cross-filed with the IOCR that is eligible to be cross-filed with the EEOC,
must have either the Complainant's handwritten or verified electronic signature. Complaints
lacking a signature or with a typed signature with no further verification will not be accepted.
Intakes
1. Complaint for ms provided to the IOCR for Intake credit must be a finalized complaint
for m. Complaint infor mation provided that is not on a finalized complaint for m will not be
given Intake credit.
Resolutions
1. Resolution date shall be the date of receipt of the case closure documentation by the IOCR.
a. Case closure documents means investigative reports, respondent position
statement/responses, settlement agreements, withdrawal documents, failure to
cooperate documentation, closure letters sent to parties.
b. All case closure documents including investigative reports, settlement agreements
and withdrawals, must include local and state case numbers, and when cross-filed
with the EEOC, the federal case number
c. For complaints that have been cross-filed with the EEOC, closure documentation
must include respondent’s response to the complaint. If there has been a
deter mination of No Probable Cause, a copy of the entire complaint must be
provided to the IOCR as part of the closure documentation.
2. For complaints that have been cross-filed with the EEOC, the EEOC’s failure to cooperate
letter must be sent before the complaint is closed, and provided to the IOCR along with
other closure documentation. The most recent version of the letter is attached to the
contract.
3. If the EEOC refuses credit for a complaint, the IOCR’s payment obligations under this
agreement shall be extinguished.
4. HUD prohibits IOCR from seeking credit for housing complaints cross-filed with HUD,
and any such complaints should be referred to the IOCR for investig ation after intake.
Page 6 of 7
8
NON
-
B
I
N
D
I
N
G
C
O
P
Y
5. Settlement ag reements for cross-filed EEOC cases cannot include a no-rehire clause or
global release and must indicate in the ag reement itself that the agreement was signed
voluntarily. These are EEOC requirements that will not be waived by the EEOC and cannot
be waived by the IOCR. Any agreements with language that includes the imper missible
language or that is missing the required EEOC voluntar y settlement language will be rejected
by the IOCR (and EEOC) and no payment will be made until the settlement ag reements are
revised accordingly.
Repor ting
1. Annual reports will be submitted via email. Following approval of submissions, an invoice
will be prepared by the IOCR and submitted to the Department of Inspections and Appeals
financial department for payment.
Page 7 of 7
9