Ypsilanti HRC asks city attorney whether a dedicated discrimination complaint form or protected‑class checkboxes are allowed

The Ypsilanti Human Relations Commission voted to ask the city attorney whether the city may adopt a separate discrimination complaint form or add dropdowns/check boxes for protected classes to the existing Title VI form.

Commissioners told staff the current online complaint page is a single open text box that can be difficult for residents to complete. They discussed creating a more user‑friendly process that would either combine a general service/complaint form with a separate discrimination form, or add structured fields (disability, race, religion, etc.) to let complainants indicate the basis for their concerns without writing a long narrative.

The commission moved to send two questions to the city attorney: whether a separate dedicated discrimination complaint form may be used, and whether adding checkboxes for protected classes on a form is legally permissible. The motion carried and staff said it would forward any written response from the city attorney to commissioners before the next meeting.

Commissioners framed the change as an accessibility and intake improvement: they said structured fields could reduce the burden on residents who cannot easily articulate alleged discrimination in a free‑text box, and would help the city attorney identify potential discrimination for follow‑up. The commission did not adopt any specific form language or categories; the action was limited to requesting legal review.

As a next step the commission asked staff to include any city attorney guidance in the packet for the next meeting so commissioners can decide whether to draft a revised form or ask for a separate intake flow. No formal change to the online complaint form was made at the meeting.