Title
Approval of the Regional Transit System Equal Employment Opportunity Program (B)
This item is a request to approve updates to the Regional Transit System (RTS) Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program.
Explanation
Triennially, recipients of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) financial assistance must demonstrate that the appropriate governing entity has reviewed and approved their EEO program; the RTS EEO Program was submitted to the FTA by the March 1, 2020 deadline for review and approval. In March, RTS received feedback from the FTA requesting minor updates and additional information be added to the RTS EEO program with memorialization of approval by the City Commission. The detailed comments from FTA are included in the back-up along with the updated RTS EEO program.
EEO is a federal statute that provides that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The requirements for each recipient are dependent on whether they are a state entity, Metropolitan Planning Organization, or transit provider. RTS must meet the requirements of transit providers that are located in an Urbanized Area of less than 200,000 people.
The costs for the EEO program are largely dependent on the extent to which RTS must advertise for employment opportunities, address internal job-related complaints, provide staff training related to EEO, ensure that contractors comply with federal wage mandates, monitor and pay for staff promotions within the organization, and disseminate public information to comply with existing laws. The City of Gainesville’s existing policies and procedures meet or exceed the FTA EEO program requirements.
Fiscal Note
All aforementioned costs associated with implementing the EEO Program are budgeted and available in the RTS annual operating budget.
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