Policies

CMAP does not discriminate on an actual or perceived basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, military or veteran status, genetic information, order of protection status, or any other category protected by applicable law.

CMAP will not tolerate unlawful discrimination against the agency’s employees by anyone, regardless of employment status. Unlawful harassment of the agency’s employees by non-employees — such as customers, contractors, consultants, suppliers, and other third parties with whom employees interact while performing their job duties — also is unlawful and strictly prohibited.

This policy applies to public bodies convened by CMAP that are subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

CMAP provides the opportunity for public comment. Public comment is a standard agenda item for CMAP public body meetings (following “other business”), and public comments must be relevant to the business of the specific public body. The order of the public comment may be modified at the discretion of the executive director or chair.

In-person, virtual, and email public comment is allowed. The total time for all public comment shall be limited to 15 minutes, unless determined otherwise by the chair. Public comment is limited to three minutes per individual, unless the chair designates a longer or shorter time. If a member of the public fails to abide by the relevant time limit, the chair may interrupt the speaker and proceed to the next commenter or agenda item.

Individuals are encouraged to submit comment by emailing info@cmap.illinois.gov at least 24 hours before the meeting or by writing to: CMAP, 433 W. Van Buren St., Ste 450, Chicago, IL 60607.

The email or written comment should include:

• Commenter’s name
• Affiliation (optional)
• Committee to address
• Comment, indicating the related agenda item

CMAP will maintain a record of all written public comments and make it publicly available.

Submitting comment on the meeting day:

• In-person speakers need to complete a public comment card and submit to CMAP staff prior to the public comment item on the agenda.
• Virtual participants will be prompted to add their name to the virtual meeting platform’s chat box to indicate their intent to speak.

The meeting chair shall invite public comment in this order:

1. Comments from in-person attendees submitted ahead of time
2. Comments from in-person attendees not previously submitted
3. Comments from virtual attendees submitted ahead of time
4. Comments from virtual attendees not previously submitted

The meeting chair may interrupt any speaker who utters loud, threatening, personal or abusive language, or engages in any other disorderly conduct which disrupts, disturbs, distracts from, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of a meeting.

The purpose of CMAP’s social media sites is to present matters of public interest related to the agency and to provide a forum for discussion that is social, inclusive, and constructive. We encourage you to submit your questions, comments, and concerns, but please note that this is a moderated online discussion site and not a public forum. In general: keep your comments civil and on topic, and refrain from profanity, vulgarity, slurs, or purely personal attacks.

We will limit the content on social media sites — including the comments section — to the topics we post about, and we reserve the right to control the topical scope of posts we make. In general, the content posted will be limited to matters related to CMAP.

CMAP deals with a broad, but not limitless, array of issues. Things that do not relate to the business of CMAP, and which we reserve the right to delete, include the following:

• Profane/personal: Comments containing material that is profane, obscene, pornographic, or material of a purely insulting nature that is directed at a particular individual. CMAP’s business relates to the public at large, and comments should reflect matters of public concern, not matters that are personal or private in nature.
• Discriminatory: CMAP is not in the business of discriminating based on race, national origin, religion, age, gender, disability, or sexual orientation — comments of this nature will be removed.
• Threats/safety: We will remove threats to the safety of others, whether directed at an individual or the public at large. Such threats include inciting imminent lawless action, fighting words, and true threats.
• Political: CMAP is not in the business of campaigning, politicking, or electioneering — such content will be removed.
• Commercial advertising: Solicitations or commercial advertisements (i.e., content that advertises a product or service) will be removed.
• Illegality: Material promoting or providing instructional information about illegal activities will be removed.
• Intellectual property: Content that infringes the intellectual property rights of others (such as their patents, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, etc.) will be removed.

Please contact CMAP with any questions or issues.

CMAP welcomes requests for data, maps, and analysis in formats other than what is available through our standard data products. Please read through our data request terms to understand what custom data and services we are able to provide. This is intended to ensure timely follow-up on requests and to allow us to better understand member data needs.

What we provide

1. Requests for custom data products and analysis are to be submitted in writing through the online data request form.
2. Custom data requests will be accepted as staffing availability and agency priorities permit.
3. Access to proprietary data sources may be arranged according to specified end-user license agreements.
4. We request that data users credit the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and/or other data sources as appropriate.
5. All data requests will be answered in accordance with state and federal laws.

CMAP data terms of use

CMAP data are developed and analyzed at a level of detail commensurate with our planning mandates and responsibilities. CMAP makes no warranties, expressed or implied, of the accuracy of results or analysis derived from projects or studies utilizing CMAP data that are not conducted or sponsored by CMAP. CMAP staff are available to advise users of data limitations. However, final determination as to the appropriate use of the data must be made entirely by the user, firm or agency undertaking the project or study.

CMAP’s policy complies with the Whistleblower Act (740 ILCS 174), and this policy shall be interpreted subject to the standards in the Whistleblower Act. The Whistleblower Act protects every person, including state and local government employees, when they blow the whistle on government corruption. It is CMAP’s practice not to allow retaliation for reports of wrongdoing, fraud, corruption, or waste made in good faith, and it is the duty of every CMAP employee to report suspected improprieties. It is, at the same time, unacceptable to file a report knowing it is false.

All members of the CMAP Board and employees, grantees, contractors, and vendors are protected under this policy when reporting suspected improprieties.

Types of complaints

The following suspected improprieties should be reported:

• Violations of laws and regulations applicable to CMAP
• Contract and procurement fraud or collusion involving contracts with CMAP contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, or vendors
• Misuse, embezzlement, or theft of CMAP property or funds
• Bribery and acceptance of gratuities in connection with authorized CMAP operations or transactions with suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, and vendors
• Employee misconduct, such as misuse of official position and acceptance of unauthorized gifts
• Conflicts of interest, such as an employee doing business with CMAP under a different name
• Other unethical or illegal activities involving CMAP property, employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors, vendors, or suppliers, such as identity theft, check fraud, or violation of computer crime statutes

Duty to report

It is the duty of every CMAP Board member and employee to report suspected violations of the policy of which they are aware, and failure to act will lead to disciplinary actions. It is impermissible to file a report knowing it is false. Any employee who violates this prohibition will be subject to discipline in accordance with CMAP policy, up to and including separation from the agency.

Reporting complaints

Suspected policy violations or illegal acts may be reported in the following manner:

• CMAP employees may speak with their direct supervisor or the CMAP ethics officer (director of human resources). Employees can also speak to the deputy executive director if they cannot reach a resolution with their direct supervisor or the ethics officer.
• Third parties may contact the CMAP ethics officer or deputy executive director by calling 312-454-0400.

Confidentiality of the complaints received by the CMAP ethics officer will be maintained to the fullest extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an appropriate review. When possible, the CMAP ethics officer will notify the complainant and acknowledge receipt of the reported violation within seven business days of receipt of the complaint. The CMAP ethics officer will maintain a log of all complaints received, tracking their receipt, investigation, and resolution. This information will be reported to the CMAP Board Executive Committee semiannually.

Accounting and auditing matters

The CMAP ethics officer shall refer action relating to concerns and complaints regarding CMAP’s accounting practices, internal controls, and auditing to the executive director, deputy executive director, and Board Executive Committee. The CMAP ethics officer shall work with the Executive Committee until the matter is resolved.

Prohibition against retaliation

It is essential that CMAP employees and others are able to report suspected policy violations or illegal activity that they observe at CMAP without fear that they will lose their job, their ability to advance at CMAP, or otherwise be subject to retaliation by colleagues, supervisors, and others. For purposes of this policy, retaliation includes any of the following actions:

• Reducing or restricting an employee’s duties or responsibilities
• Failing to promote or give a raise to an employee who, were it not for the report of noncompliant activity, would have received a promotion or raise
• Terminating an employee
• Taking any similar action that is intended to retaliate against or “payback” an employee for a report of non-compliance

Companies that have entered a contractual relationship with CMAP are also covered under this policy. CMAP is prohibited from terminating or modifying the existing contract(s) or grant(s) of any third party in retaliation for reporting suspected violations, unless the violation relates to such contract(s) or grant(s), and CMAP shall take all reasonable steps to protect the identity of employee of any vendor who files a complaint hereunder.

CMAP’s online privacy statement applies to information collected through this website and email lists.

CMAP does not share or disclose any personal information, including your name, address, or email address with other organizations. Only CMAP staff and our authorized agents (who agree to our privacy policy) have access to personally identifiable information provided by visitors to our site.

CMAP analyzes its website logs to constantly improve the value of its website. The agency uses an external service to provide real-time reporting of browser accesses to our site, including page views, unique views, unique visitors, repeat visitors, visit frequency, and peak-volume traffic periods. We do not use this service to gather, request, record, require, collect, or track any internet users’ personally identifiable information.

CMAP maintains several email lists to keep our partners and other interested parties informed of our activities. Individuals must affirmatively request to join our mailing lists, and they may “opt out” at any time. Additionally, we do not share the email addresses on our lists with outside businesses or organizations. Only CMAP staff and our authorized agents have access to personally identifiable information provided by visitors to our site.

This privacy policy is subject to occasional revision. Any substantial changes in the way personal information is used will be posted on the website. Continued use of the website following notice of any such changes shall indicate acknowledgment of such changes and agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of such changes.

Those who choose to comment on the website may select whether to have their comments published on the site and in publications at the time of submission. Comments submitted without publication approval will be reviewed by CMAP internally only and not made public. Comments are also moderated to prevent spam and abuse.

CMAP does not endorse and is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of statements made by third parties on our website.

Materials published on this website are © Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, unless otherwise noted.