NEW HEALTH INSPECTOR, CLERKS BOOST CUSTOMER SERVICE AT ISD
Quality of life issues addressed efficiently,better service over the counter and on the phone
- In a move to provide enhanced customer service, City of Somerville Inspectional
Services is introducing several new improvements this month that should benefit
residents, businesses and contractors alike. New Inspectional Services office
hours were introduced on July 1 that align better with both contractors' work
schedules and resident needs, and a new permitting process will make it easier
to submit applications for permits and receive approval.
Three
new positions, included in Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone's fiscal 2014 budget
proposal and approved by the Board of Aldermen in June, will also be added.
They follow the recommendations of a 2010 report on Inspectional Services that cited the need for additional staff to handle the
department's increasing workload in order to create more efficiency and
accuracy, in line with Mayor Curtatone's ACE (Accurate, Courteous, Easy)
customer service initiative. A new code enforcement inspector and two
new junior clerks will be hired to bring better customer service and higher
efficiency in tackling quality of life issues throughout the city's
neighborhoods.
Adding two new clerks to the
Inspectional Services office means additional customer service assistance and more
efficient internal processing operations. They will also provide the necessary
administrative support for increases in City permits, licenses, and
inspections, and more efficient data and project file management.
The code enforcement inspector will address rodent control
and public sanitation issues by implementing a systematic program for Board of
Health dumpster licensing and inspections citywide. The inspector's duties will
include inspections, code enforcement and tracking of all licensed dumpsters in
the City, additional support for Inspectional Services' housing and food
inspection programs, and assistance on special Health projects as determined by
the Superintendent.
The 2010 Inspectional Services report requested by the
Mayor's Office also cited a streamlined permitting process as another necessary
step to increase Inspectional Services' efficiency. Along with the three new
positions, Inspectional Services is implementing a new permitting process that
is easier to use and more efficient under new Superintendent of
Inspectional Services Goran Smiljic, who has a background in streamlining the
permitting process for contractors and residents.
"Inspectional
services are paramount to protecting our neighborhoods and quality of life. We
need to stay nimble in responding to issues as they arise, resolving problems
as quickly as possible," Mayor Curtatone said. "These new clerks and inspector
give us the tools we need to respond promptly and decisively to issues around
the city. Streamlining the permitting process benefits homeowners looking to
invest in their homes because they want to stay in Somerville, and developers
looking to invest in our city because they know Somerville is a great
investment."
Effective
July 1, 2013, the Inspectional Services' office has new hours of operation that
better align with contractors' work schedules as
well as homeowners. The office is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
"As our community
continues to grow, Inspectional Services also faces a growing workload. These reforms
will improve customer service for everyone who comes to our office," Smiljic said. "We will work harder and smarter in responding to
the community, protecting our quality of life in every neighborhood, in every
square, and addressing issues around trash, overgrowth, rodents and dumpsters
as they arise."
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