Friday, November 4, 2005

City will launch online complaint system
Hi-tech move seen as more efficient

By By Graham Moes/Independent Staff Writer

 

The people who help run Clovis are so sure people like it here, they're making it easier to complain.

Come January, the city will launch a new, Web-based "Citizen Response System" following the City Council's unanimous approval Oct. 17.

Locals will be able to sound off cyber-style on a range of issues and problems including animal control, code enforcement, streets, landscaping, traffic, utilities, parks and more.

The system may be used anonymously in many cases, says City Clerk John Holt.

And if complaining isn't a person's style, it's OK to drop the city a line about what's good in the neighborhood instead.

Holt took the council and public on a walk-through using a conceptual prototype of what residents might see when logging on, including a pull-down menu system allowing users to pinpoint dozens of specific topics within city services and departments.

After leaving a comment through the system, users will be sent an e-mail receipt confirming the particulars and, when appropriate, a time frame in which to expect a reply.

The process should take minutes, depending on how much someone has to say.

Follow-up notification via e-mail, phone, or regular mail after the request has been dealt with will include work details or steps taken to address the issue.

And for the lower-tech majority out there, fear not. The system won't replace current phone, fax or face-to-face inquiries.

"There are those in the city who will never log onto the Web site to enter a complaint -- we know that," Holt said. "We will continue to serve them in whatever fashion they desire. They want to use the phone or they want to stop by and lodge the complaint, we will then input them [to the CRS] and route them appropriately."

Holt said the new system would also hold departments more directly accountable, sending automated notice to managers for open jobs yet to be addressed.

"As it stands right now, we receive inquiries that several different departments may be working on to resolve the same issue," Holt said. "A tool like this will help reduce the duplication of effort."

Future planning for problem areas receiving regular hits would be another benefit, he said.

"Fully a third of our employees are approaching retirement age. When they leave, they take a huge amount of information and history with them. Having a tool like this will help bridge the gap [with] a database the next generation can refer to," Holt said.

Council Member Jose Flores voiced privacy concerns for residents, wondering at the same time if responses could even be restricted to locals to keep merely "malicious" hit-and-run cranks from clogging the system.

Holt said the city wouldn't sell resident information to third parties and that the system could be configured to require user IDs for certain issues.

Council Member Lynne Ashbeck called it a fabulous way to streamline city/citizen communication.

"This is a huge leap forward that we've been trying to get to for some time," said City Manager Kathy Millison.

The manual-labor approach to fielding and distributing requests has become a burden on staff, given the city's growth in recent years, she said.

The city plans a soft launch of the system in January, with a full launch shortly after.

The city's Web site is www.ci.clovis.ca.us

E-mail Graham Moes at gmoes@clovisindependent.com.