Perhaps, Finally, The World is Coming Together. I hope so!

Huge Show of Solidarity in Paris Against Terrorism

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/world/europe/paris-march-against-terror-charlie-hebdo.html?emc=edit_th_20150112&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=56148725&_r=0

A Good Read and Travel over the holidays.  My good fortune!

Given we so often talk and strive toward ensuring transparency and citizen engagement, I dove into former San Francisco Mayor and current California Lt Governor Gavin Newsome's book called Citizenville.

It is a fast and easy read and provides "ideas" and examples about how government can be more transparent, while collaborating with the private sector to find answers to long undressed challenges while getting maximum input through modern technology.  I believe it may be a little forward thinking in terms of today's reality.  That said, the Lt Governor provides some convincing evidence about how collaboration has worked and might work in the future.

At the end of last year, the City's staff, led by Human Resources Director, Bill Prokop, surveyed a sample of Beaufort citizens to determine how we can be more transparent, more engaging and more user friendly to the residents of Beaufort and our visitors.  Below you can read about the survey, its results and action plan.

I also had the luxury of chasing warmer weather in Mexico City where my friend Paola and I had a wonderful five day holiday, visiting museums and galleries, eating good food, bringing in the new year and mingling with a few of the 26 million people who live in Mexico City. 

As usual, I took considerably more photographs than I can share over the internet, but am going to share some in this newsletter and others in next week's hoping to give you a sense of what we saw and the vibrancy of the city. 

CITY OF BEAUFORT

SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEYS

DECEMBER 2014

To insure that we are providing the quality customer service that our residents deserve and expect, we conducted a telephone survey and on-line survey to obtain input from the public. Our goals for these surveys included:

1. Discover our shortcomings with customer service and address them as they become clear.
2. Create and enhance a City staff culture that centers on high levels of customer service and timely, accurate, information provided to our residents and all customers at all times.
3. Review our telephone system and answering protocols and make improvements where necessary.
4. Refresh the City's website to include a new look, easier navigation and fresh up to-date content.
5. Find new and/or additional ways to share information that best suits our residents.

A review of the data received showed the following:

• 900 telephone calls were received during the 4 week monitoring period. This did not include and direct calls to a staff member or cell phone calls, nor any calls placed to the Court, Police, or Fire Departments.
• 415 calls were for Planning/Business License/Code Enforcement.
• 110 calls were for Waste Pro our trash hauler.
• 91 calls were not for the City - they were for the County, DOT, or Beaufort/Jasper Water & Sewer.
• 100 calls were miscellaneous and were just general questions like - where is the best pier to fish off?

The on-line survey provided the following input:

• 150 surveys were completed
• Less than 2% of our population responded
• 80% of the respondents were over 50 years of age
• 55% were male, 36% were female, 9 % did not indicate
• 67% have lived in Beaufort for 6+ years
• 57% of the respondents attend a City board or commission meeting fewer than 1 time per year.  

We did find that most people who took the survey (51%) get their information about the City from the newspaper and another 18% get their information from our website.

The most important issues facing the City that the respondents wanted to be kept informed about were:

Keeping "Community" front and center in all that we do                            Infrastructure/Stormwater issues

Economic Development                                                                                      Public Safety

Planning & Zoning regulations and Code Enforcement                  

Taxes

The Budget                                                                                               

Parking

Leadership                                                                                               Recycling Programs

Boundary Street                                                                                      Waterway Protection

OUR IMPROVEMENT PLAN TO ADDRESS ALL THESE ISSUES IS AS FOLLOWS:

• Conduct a complete review of all data on a regular basis.
• Website is being updated and all department information will be informative and current.
• All main telephone lines in all departments are being answered by an employee, unless they are on another call or helping another customer.
• All calls and emails will be answered/acknowledged within 48 hours.
• The overall website will be more consumer friendly and easier to navigate.
• Employees are receiving Customer Service training on a regular basis.
• We have established a "City of Beaufort Facebook" page.
• We have joined the Alliance for Innovation, an affiliate of ICMA, which we will use as a resource to establish customer service bench marks and training.
• We will become more proactive and take our story to the community in the most efficient ways we can.
• We will increase our public relations activities.
• We will make customer service a performance measurement in all departments and recognize employees and departments with outstanding performance.
• We will continue to monitor our performance by soliciting feedback from the public, Council, and other civic entities and review feedback annually as we strive to achieve the best possible customer service for all our residents and consumers.

If you feel that you would like to have more information on our Customer Service plans and goals please let us know at anytime. Thank you and our goal is always be looking for ways to improve and learn new capabilities to help us improve the services we provide to everyone.

Bill Prokop

Human Resources Department Head

FACEBOOK: Another tool for Engagement

 Beaufort launches Facebook page to help share city government information

 Hoping to reach a wider audience that may not be currently connecting with the City of Beaufort, city leaders are launching a City Hall Facebook page.

 Called City Beaufort SC, the official Beaufort City Hall Facebook page includes regular updates about upcoming meetings and events, topical news and requests for help, such as volunteers serving on various boards and commissions.

 "We did a small survey a few months ago and we found that, of the people responding, most were over 50 and got their news from a printed newspaper," said Bill Prokop, director of human resources for the city.

 "We need to find ways to connect effectively with younger residents, the people who can't make it to City Council meetings because they're working, or at home helping their kids with homework, or taking their kids to the soccer or baseball fields. Using social media is one way to connect with them," he said.

 The City of Beaufort fire and police departments have been using Facebook for more than a year to share information. Police Chief Matt Clancy said Facebook followers have helped solve numerous crimes by recognizing suspects from surveillance images shared on Facebook.

 "For us, it's an incredible way to share information very quickly and to reach out to ask people to help," Clancy said. "I'm sure the City Hall Facebook page will be just as effective."

 In coming months, the city will also join the crowds on Twitter and Instagram.

 The City Beaufort SC Facebook page includes regular updates about upcoming meetings, ways to learn more about specific issues, and links to stories and news releases about Beaufort.

 "We want our Facebook page to be an interactive community, where we share information from City Hall and people can learn and ask questions," Prokop said. "We have a lot happening in the City that we need people to be aware of, including the Boundary Street Corridor project, economic redevelopment issues, budget concerns and parking.

 "Using social media is just one more tool in our communications toolbox," he said. "The city's website (www.cityofbeaufort.org) is still our primary online presence where we share documents, agendas, minutes and all sorts of detailed reports. We are working to make the website more interactive, too, so that people can search for specific information or even create their own financial reports."

 To learn more, find the City Hall on Facebook at City Beaufort SC.

As The Planet Warms, A Remote Alaskan Town Shows Just How Unprepared We Are

Huffington Post

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/14/shishmaref-alaska-climate-change-relocation_n_6296516.html