TO improve service delivery the Hibiscus Coast Municipality launched its customer service charter at the Margate Hotel last Thursday.
“The ultimate aim of the charter is to satisfy customer needs in the most professional manner, and where the level of service is not in line with the standards set, then corrective action must be embarked upon with immediate effect,” said HCM municipal manager Max Mbili.
He added that the charter is aimed at strengthening the communication between HCM and its customers and thereby creating a relationship of commitment on services offered by the municipality.
The charter reveals that the municipality’s vision is to be a thriving, well-managed, tourist-friendly national leader, providing quality services to all its inhabitants in a safe and healthy environment.
The mission is to excel at providing quality services for all; facilitating collaborative partnerships and creating an enabling environment for sustainable development.
The charter commits the municipality to service excellence, high service standards, openness and transparency.
Mr Mbili also promised to improve on the following: response to complaints, roads and refuse collection.
“All complainants will be addressed by the department responsible within 10 working days,” he said.
* Response to complaints: all complainants will receive an acknowlegement of receipt of their complaints within 48 hours, excluding weekends, and an indication of how and when it will be addressed from the department responsible within 10 working days.
* Roads: the HCM undertakes to repair 24 000 square metres of potholes every quarter and will, through ward committees, inform the public where this will be done.Urgent requests will be attended to as specified above.
* Verges: these will be cut once a month on a schedule to be publicised through the ward committees.
* Traffic and street lights: street lights will be repaired within 10 days and traffic light bulbs within 48 hours.
* Refuse: will be collected once a week for residents and businesses on a schedule to be publicised through the ward committees.
* By-laws: will be consolidated and finalised by June 30, 2015 and training of officials on these by-laws and how to enforce them, also on the same target date.
* Passing of plans: building plans will be passed within four weeks of submission for under 500m2 and eight weeks for 500m2 and above.
* Litter: central and business districts and main roads will be cleared of litter daily and newly emerging illegal dump sites cleared within five working days of notification, and the illegal dump sites to be all cleared by end June 2014, and thereafter within five working days of notification.
* Productivity: HCM will institute methods of measuring its workers’ productivity and present the data to council with the objective of achieving and maintaining a minimum of 90 percent productivity by June 30, 2015.
