From last week's Commission meeting...

A couple things stood out during public comment on non-agendaed items. One concerned customer service at the utility department and the other concerned inspections/code enforcement when people are working on their homes. I listened to it last week on Wednesday during the day. The specifics may not be all there, but this is what I remember hearing.

It is really sad, on both counts.

A gentleman got up to the podium and told a story about how he was something like $100 behind on his electric bill. He had been talking with utility customer service, saying that he would be able to pay the amount by a certain date so that he could maintain his utility service. On that day, he came in and paid the past due balance, only to be notified by someone at home that the city came out and turned the power off about an hour after he made the payment. Follow-up calls to customer service were made and generally unresponsive to the resident's complaints. Someone even told him that if he hadn't made the payment, his power would still have been on - no one would have been sent to disconnect it. Furthermore, he had an elderly relative at his house who occasionally needed oxygen and it was a big deal to prepare him to move somewhere else other than their house if he needed it. This was suggested - go find someone with power or got o the fire department - both unworkable solutions for this resident.

To their credit, the Commission and Mayor were compassionate with the resident and directed staff to rectify the situation. But, this is just one example...how many others just like this, better or worse, were perpetrated that same day or week? Why does it seem impossible to get a straight answer from anyone in that department? Why does the attitude exist that the resident/customer is always wrong and the city is omnipotent - never being wrong? Why the defensiveness? Where is the compassion?

Now on to the next "little shop of horrors" - the building department. This is only the latest example of many that I have heard from those doing work on their homes, places of business, etc. Seems that a homeowner on C street has taken on a real project of a house and is making wonderful progress - visually. He passed around a picture for members of the Commission and the Mayor to see. All were impressed. However, the homeowner, after a lot of work he has put into the property, has put his property up for sale. Why? Because every time he calls for an inspection it's something else he has to do - and usually not inexpensive items. Windows, electrical, structural etc - it never seems to end. Again, the Commission extended their sympathies, but whether anything was followed up on, who is to say?

We have to realize, as I did when looking for a home in Lake Worth in the summer of 2000, that our housing stock is older. Tastes and family types have changed since the time most of these houses were built. It is very likely that anyone buying a home here will be wanting to do some sort of improvement to it - usually involving something major like an addition/expansion of bathroom or living space - or the very common kitchen upgrade.

Why do we make it so difficult? Why is it so "us against them"? Why are the inspectors inconsistent from one inspector or inspection to another?

I am convinced we can do better, but for some reason we aren't. Is it the City Manager - or lack thereof? I am also surprised that more people are not talking about this, with some exceptions, on the campaign trail.

And where are the pictures of our Mayor Jeff Clemens and his cell phone number that were to be posted at every customer service desk in the city? If you had poor or rude service, you were to have a hot-line to the Mayor. I guess chalk that up to another empty campaign promise. This is an area where the public has direct interface with the city. Lasting impressions are made during this interaction - why can't it be a positive one? It would be great to hear, "Welcome, how can I solve your problem?" waft through the halls of the City.

What are we waiting for?