Responding to Inconsistent Decision-Making

What Happened

Martina, who is on disability assistance, applied to the City’s Property Tax, Water & Solid Waste Relief program. She faxed in her application, but a year later, had not heard back from the City. Confused, she contacted City staff to see what had happened and found out that her application was never received. According to Martina, City staff then told her that, despite the deadline, she could submit a new application to be considered as a one-time exception. Thankful, Martina did just that, only to be denied and told by a City supervisor that there were no exceptions. Frustrated and in need of the financial assistance provided by the program, Martina contacted us for help.

What We Did

After looking into the matter further, we told the City that its communication with Martina was confusing and that she was given two completely different decisions, which was not fair. We then had the matter escalated within Revenue Services.

The Result

Shortly after contacting the City, we heard back from Martina, who thanked us and let us know that she had received a call from the City confirming that her application would now be approved.

Why this Matters

All people interacting with the City have a right to clear communication, consistent decision-making, and equitable treatment that considers individual needs. We made sure Martina received both from the City.