VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP

One of my dreams for some time has been to have a great website for the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office. I am so excited that my dream is on the verge of becoming reality.

Our new website at www.waynetownship.org will be up and running this Summer. We have faced some challenges in setting up a website, but, we have been persistent in working to overcome these challenges so we could provide you with up-to-date information about your Trustee’s Office just by logging on to your computer.

Our Director of Intake/Investigations, SuzAnne Runge has agreed to take on the additional responsibility of serving as our webmaster. SuzAnne has been taking classes on websites in her off-work hours and now will be able to utilize her new skills.

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We plan to use our new website for two purposes. First, it will provide information for clients, such as outlining our eligibility requirements and providing clients with directions about how to schedule an appointment and what to bring with them.

Our application for assistance will be on-line so clients with computer access have the opportunity to print it and fill it out before coming in for their appointment. We hope this will decrease the time these clients need to spend in our office.

I am very firm, however, that our office will not be requiring clients to apply for assistance on-line, nor will they be required to have their application filled out before they come in for their appointment. Clients who do not have their applications filled out ahead of time will be given an application to fill out when they come into our office just like they have in the past.

I believe that all clients should have the opportunity to meet personally with an investigator, who will listen to their request for assistance, advise them and make a decision based on our Eligibility Standards. The personal touch we offer is one of the best things about our Trustee’s Office, and I never want to lose that.

I also understand that many, if not most, of our clients do not have their own computers. For them to have access to a computer, they must go to a public place, such as the library, where they often encounter time limits on using the computers. This makes applying on-line for benefits a time consuming and complicated process.

The second goal of our new website is to communicate news about the Trustee’s Office to all the residents of Wayne Township. In my last column, I wrote about the role of the Trustee’s Office as an advocate for the poor. Our website will be a great way to carry out that role by conveying information about activities in our community to assist those in need.

We often sponsor events here at the Trustee’s Office to help those who are struggling and to increase awareness of their circumstances. One example of an event we sponsor is our annual Health Fair, which provides numerous health services to uninsured and underinsured persons. We will be able to provide information about these events on our new website.

After we get the website on line, we will continue to add to it and make it better and better. At the time I am writing this column, I’m sorry I can’t give you an exact date when the website will be available, but please keep checking at www.waynetownship.org for our great new website.

Richard A. Stevenson,Sr.

Wayne Township Trustee