Rockford — Part I Ch. 11 Human Rights § 11-121

(a) Any individual who believes they have been aggrieved by a violation of the provisions of this chapter shall make a written statement that an unlawful act in the City of Rockford has been committed. Such written statement shall be referred to as a "charge" and shall be filed with the department of law.
(b) The charge shall set forth:
(1) The facts supporting the charge, including the date of the alleged discriminatory act;
(2) The name and address of charging party;
(3) The name and address of the person against whom the charge is brought; and
(4) An oath or affirmation verifying that the statements therein are true and correct based on personal knowledge of the charging party.
(c) A charge shall be file with the department of law within 180 days after the occurrence of the alleged violation.
(d) All investigations of charges shall be conducted by the Legal director or his/her designee.
(e) The legal director shall notify and furnish copies of the charge to all commissioners within seven day days of filing of a charge.
(f) The legal director shall furnish the respondent with a copy of said charge by certified mail or personal service within seven days of filing of the charge.
(g) The respondent shall file a verified response to the allegations set forth in the charge within 28 days of receiving the charge. All allegations contained in the charge shall be deemed admitted, unless the respondent states that is without sufficient information to form a belief with respect to the allegation.
(h) The legal director shall conduct an investigation and report the finding of investigation to the commission.
(i) If the legal director, after consulting with the commission, determines from the investigation of a charge that there is not probable cause to believe the respondent has engaged in any discriminatory practice or act as alleged in the charge, he/she shall state the findings in writing, dismiss the charge and notify the parties by mail.
(j) If the legal director, after consulting with the commission, determines that the charge warrants further action, he/she may encourage the parties to reach an amicable resolution of the issues, which may include mediation or conciliation with the Commission or sub-committee thereof if both parties agree.
If the parties are unable to resolve the issues, or if the legal director determines that conciliation or mediation is not likely to lead to resolution, the legal director in his/her sole discretion may enforce the provisions of this chapter as set forth in section 11-123 .