The City of Brookhaven, Measured Against Its Own Rules
The City of Brookhaven publishes its own ADA grievance procedure. It names the person to write to and it counts the days: a meeting within 15 calendar days of receiving a complaint, a written answer within 15 days of that meeting, and an appeal to the City Manager. In February and March 2026 I filed ADA grievances with the City. Below is the City’s own procedure, beside what I received.
One City page. Two ADA Coordinators and a separate grievance contact. On the City’s ADA Compliance page, checked October 17, 2026, Brookhaven labels Tom Roberts an “ADA Coordinator” under Title III and Joe Burge an “ADA Coordinator” under Title II. It separately lists Linda Warren under “ADA Grievance Process (Human Resources)” and labels that heading Title VII.
Title III of the ADA covers private places of public accommodation. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act covers employment discrimination; it is not part of the ADA. A city’s services, programs and activities are governed by Title II. Warren’s own March 23 letter calls her the City’s ADA and Title VI Coordinator, which is an ordinary pairing for a city that takes federal money. The City’s webpage files her under a different law, and gives the title “ADA Coordinator” to two other people at once.
A disabled resident reading that page has to pick one.
Four ADA clocks. One City. The City’s Title II grievance page says a disability complaint should be submitted “preferably within 60 days.” Its ADA Transition Plan, which covers sidewalks and curb ramps, says a complaint “should be filed within 14 days.” Its City Council agendas carried no ADA accommodation notice at all on 46 published agendas in a row, from January 14, 2025 through February 24, 2026 (agenda, January 14, 2025; agenda, February 24, 2026). The first notice appeared on March 10, 2026. From then to September 8, 2026 the agendas told residents who need an accommodation to ask “at least 10 (ten) days prior to the meeting” (agenda, March 10, 2026). From September 28, 2026 the agendas say “no later than 48 hours before the noticed meeting time” (agenda, October 13, 2026). Both agenda versions send residents to the City Clerk’s Office “by email or phone, found on the Brookhaven website.” 60 days. 14 days. 10 days. 48 hours.
Two published advance notice periods, in use at the same time. The Planning Commission agenda for October 7, 2026 (agenda) and the Board of Appeals agenda for September 16, 2026 (agenda) still say requests “should be made at least 10 (ten) days prior to the meeting.” The City Council’s agendas have said 48 hours since September 28, 2026. Same City, same Clerk’s Office, same month.
| What the City of Brookhaven published | What happened in my emails and letters |
|---|---|
| Where to file. The Title II grievance page says a complaint should be submitted “preferably within 60 days” of the alleged violation, to Linda G. Warren, Director of Human Resources. | On February 26, 2026 I sent an ADA grievance to the contact the City had published, copying City Manager Christian Sigman. That afternoon Sigman replied that Lillian Young was no longer with the City and directed ADA grievances to Linda Warren. |
| A second deadline. The separate ADA Transition Plan, which covers sidewalks and curb ramps, says a complaint “should be filed within 14 days” of learning of the violation. | Two City procedures, two deadlines, both headed ADA. They are two different procedures with two different deadlines, and a resident has to work out which one applies. The City’s pages do not say. |
| The meeting. The Title II procedure says that within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA coordinator will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. | On March 2, 2026 Sigman again directed ADA matters to Linda Warren. On March 13, 2026 I wrote again about an ADA grievance that had gone 15 days unanswered. As of October 17, 2026, no email from the City in my mailbox offers or sets a meeting on these grievances. |
| The written answer. The same procedure says the coordinator will respond in writing within 15 days after the meeting, with the City’s position and options for resolution, “and, where appropriate, in a format that is accessible to the complainant.” | On March 23, 2026, Linda G. Warren, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, signed a letter denying an accommodation on records fees. The letter first described that request for me, in her words, and then denied it. |
| The appeal. After an unsatisfactory response, the procedure sends an appeal to the City Manager or designee within 15 calendar days. | The City Manager is Christian Sigman. On February 26 and again on March 2, 2026, what the City Manager did with my ADA grievances was send them to someone else. |
| Who handles open records. The City’s Open Records Policy, adopted July 7, 2015, designates the City Clerk as Open Records Officer, with the Deputy City Clerk as backup, and gives that officer the duties of logging requests, communicating fees and sending a timetable when the work takes longer than three business days. | Fee and status messages came from the City Clerk’s office and from the City’s records portal account. The portal account shows the account, not who typed each message. |
| Legal review. The same policy says requests sent for legal review must be approved by the City Manager or Assistant City Manager. | City Attorney Jeremy T. Berry wrote to me about prepayment on February 11, 2026. |
What the City Manager actually wrote. On February 26, 2026, Christian Sigman, City Manager of the City of Brookhaven, replied:
Lillian Young is no longer with the City of Brookhaven. Please direct ADA grievances to Linda Warren. (Copied).
My question is a simple one. The City of Brookhaven published a route, named the people responsible, and printed the number of days each step takes. When I used that route, I was sent to another person. Which of its published procedures did the City follow?
How to read this section. These are the City’s own published instructions beside the dated messages I received. They are not a court ruling about the ADA or the Open Records Act, and nothing here is a legal finding. A complaint arriving on a date does not by itself establish the date the coordinator received it. Naming the official who sent a reply does not establish that a formal appeal was filed, accepted or decided. A records portal message shows the account it came from, not who typed it. Counts and dates are as of October 17, 2026. What Title II itself requires, in the government’s own words: What Is ADA Title II?
Read the City’s Title II grievance procedure · Read its separate sidewalk transition plan · Read the City’s named ADA contacts · Read the Open Records Policy
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Please note: the State ADA Coordinator’s Office tracks complaints but does not have enforcement powers. In its own words: “Our office is not an enforcement agency.” (State ADA Coordinator’s Office FAQ)
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I am a disabled dad, not your lawyer. This is not legal advice. Please seek an attorney for help with your situation. I do not give, and am not allowed to give, legal advice.