Pontiac — Part I Ch. 24 Human Relations and Social Services § 24-50
Complaints; conciliation
Operative Text
(a) Any person aggrieved in any manner by a violation of any provision of any ordinance under the jurisdiction of the human relations commission may file with the commission a written verified complaint setting forth his grievance. The complaint shall state the name and address of the complainant, the name and address of the person against whom the complaint is brought, if known to the complainant, and the alleged facts surrounding the alleged violation of the ordinance; and such complaint shall state the name and address of all persons believed to have knowledge concerning the alleged facts. The commission shall provide a printed form of complaint for the use of aggrieved persons. (b) After the filing of any complaint, the commission shall serve a copy of the complaint on the party charged, and the chairperson or vice-chairperson of the commission shall designate a panel, comprised of three or more commission members, to make a prompt investigation in connection therewith. (c) If such panel shall determine after such investigation that probable cause exists for the allegations of the complaint, the panel shall set a date for a meeting, and at the meeting the panel or any member thereof shall interview the complainant and the person against whom the complaint has been directed and shall attempt to resolve the complaint by all proper methods of conciliation and persuasion. (d) Meetings or efforts by the commission to conciliate a complaint of discrimination filed under any of the ordinances of the commission's jurisdiction shall not be subject to the provisions of the Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/1.01 et seq.; provided, however, that no final action for the recommendation of a penalty by the commission shall be taken except at a meeting open to the public. (e) If at any time within 60 days after the date of filing of the complaint, such panel shall determine that such attempts at conciliation would not be in furtherance of the objectives of any ordinance under the jurisdiction of the commission, the commission shall thereupon proceed promptly to a full hearing of the complaint in accordance with section 24-51 .
Section 24-50 of Pontiac's Human Relations and Social Services ordinance establishes the process by which someone who believes they have been harmed by a violation of a human relations ordinance can bring a formal complaint before the Human Relations Commission. After a complaint is filed, the Commission investigates, and if probable cause is found, a panel of at least three members attempts to resolve the matter through conciliation and persuasion. If conciliation is not pursued or fails within 60 days of filing, the matter moves to a full public hearing under Section 24-51. Notably, conciliation meetings are exempt from Illinois Open Meetings Act requirements, though any final penalty recommendation must be made in a public meeting.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 24-50, a property owner or manager named in a complaint filed with the Pontiac Human Relations Commission will receive a formal copy of that complaint and may be contacted by a commission panel for investigation and conciliation. Operators who engage cooperatively with the conciliation process—providing accurate information and participating in panel interviews—are generally acting in accordance with the process the ordinance envisions. If conciliation does not resolve the matter within the 60-day window established by § 24-50, the case proceeds to a full hearing under § 24-51, where the stakes and formality increase.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 24-50 gives anyone aggrieved by a violation of a Pontiac human relations ordinance the right to file a written, verified complaint with the Human Relations Commission, using a printed form the Commission is required to provide. The complaint must include the complainant's name and address, the respondent's information if known, the alleged facts, and the names of any witnesses with relevant knowledge. If the panel finds probable cause, it will attempt to resolve the matter through conciliation; if that process is not productive within 60 days, tenants and other complainants can expect the case to advance to a formal hearing under § 24-51, and consulting a tenant-rights organization can help in understanding what to expect at each stage.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation