The Ombudsman has jurisdiction to investigate complaints against city entities, officials, and employees. Before you make a complaint to us, we want to make sure the city has had an opportunity to review and attempt to resolve your complaint. For this reason, we ask that you first try to address your complaint with the people directly involved and/or supervisory staff, including the city council, mayor, or manager.
How to Complain to City Government
Contact your city government directly with your complaint if you have not already done so. You can find contact information for most Iowa cities at:
https://iowaleague.org/cities-in-iowa/
You can find information on a variety of specific topics to aid in resolving your complaint at:
Already completed this process?
If you have already gone through this process and want to file a complaint with our office, click here:
Tips for Making a Complaint
► Ask if you can speak with a supervisor or manager about your issue.
► Clearly explain what your issue is and what you’d like the outcome to be.
► Write down the names of the people you speak with, when you spoke with them and what they said.
► Make the conversation about what you need, be persistent but remain calm and polite.
► If you are still unsatisfied, ask what appeal and review processes are available and pay close attention to their criteria and deadlines.
Not Sure? Contact Us!
Please contact us directly if you don’t think it would be appropriate for us to require you to go through an available complaint or review process before we consider your complaint. We can consider your specific circumstances before we decide – including the urgency of your complaint or any disabilities or barriers you may be experiencing.
