ADA Statement & Nondiscrimination Policy

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Bay County Board of County Commissioners will not discriminate on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment: Bay County Board of County Commissioners does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under title I of the ADA.

Effective Communication: Bay County Board of County Commissioners will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in Bay County Board of County Commissioners programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: Bay County Board of County Commissioners will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in Bay County Board of County Commissioners offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of Bay County Board of County Commissioners, should contact the office of, Joey Farrill, Risk Management Assistant Director, at 850-248-8230 as soon as possible but no later than 15 business days prior to the scheduled event.  Business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. 

The ADA does not require the Bay County Board of County Commissioners to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

Complaints that a program, service, or activity of is Bay County Board of County Commissioners not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Joey Farrill, Risk Management Assistant Director, at 850-248-8230.

Bay County Board of County Commissioners will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.

ADA and Nondiscrimination Grievance Procedure

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA") and state and federal nondiscrimination laws. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion or marital status in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the Bay County Board of County Commissioners. The Bay County Board of County Commissioner's Personnel Policy governs employment-related complaints of discrimination.

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Joey Farrill 
ADA/Nondiscrimination Coordinator / Risk Management Assistant Director  
840 W 11th Street                                                                                                                                                    Panama City, Fl. 32401

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Joey Farrill or his designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of Bay County and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by Joey Farrill or his designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to Robert J. Majka Jr., County Manager or Joel Schubert, Deputy County Manager or his designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, Robert J. Majka Jr., County Manager or Joel Schubert, Deputy County Manager or his designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, Robert J. Majka Jr., County Manager or Joel Schubert, Deputy County Manager or his designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by Joey Farrill or her designee, appeals to Robert J. Majka Jr., County Manager or Joel Schubert, Deputy County Manager or his designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by Bay County for at least three years.

Nondiscrimination Policy

The Bay County Board of County Commissioners does not tolerate discrimination in any of its programs, services or activities. Bay County will not exclude participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to discrimination anyone on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, or family status.

Anyone who requires special language services to participate in a Bay County program, service or activity, should contact Joey Farrill, Risk Management Assistant Director at 850-248-8230 as soon as possible but no later than 15 business days before any scheduled event.  Business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.  

The Bay County Board of County Commissioners is not legally required to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden, in order to provide language services for those who do not speak English.