VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP

I know all of you have experienced, just like I have, unsatisfactory service from a business or governmental agency. You have a question you need answered. You call and after pressing several numbers, a computer person tells you, “Your call will be answered in the order it was received.” You wait and wait and wait until you finally give up.

Or, when you call a business or agency, the computer person answering your call advises you to log on to the organization’s website and email your question. The computer person promises that all emails will be answered within 24 hours. Yet, a week later, you are still waiting for that response to your email.

I was reminded about the poor service we as members of the public often receive when one of my staff was trying to get information from a state government agency. She had made three phone calls leaving messages and never got a return call. She also had emailed her question and one week later had not received a response to the email.

This lack of good service is all too common these days both in the public and private sector. Yet, I continue to be surprised by this type of treatment, especially from a governmental agency.

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Government, more than any other organization, should be responsive to the public. After all, it is you, the taxpayer, who pays the bills to support the agency and for whom all government employees work.

This is why I believe so strongly in providing excellent, professional service to everyone who contacts or has business with the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office. This is why I regularly stress to my staff the importance of good service to the public.

If you call my office, your call will be answered by a real person, not a computer. We receive hundreds of calls a day here at the Trustee’s Office and you might have to be placed on hold for a few minutes. But, we will make every effort to answer your call quickly and route it to someone who can address your concerns.

You also can contact us through our website www.waynetownship.org. Just click on the “Contact Us” link on our homepage. Your question will be answered by our webmaster within a few days.

If you need Township Assistance, you will be asked to come into our office and you will meet personally with one of our investigators. The investigator will listen to you, assess your needs and make a decision regarding assistance based on our Eligibility Standards.

If you are not eligible for Township Assistance, the investigator might refer you to our Resource Specialist, who will meet personally with you and work with you to find other programs to help with your needs.

Our Township Board meetings are open to the public, and we always take public comments at the close of the meetings. The meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. at the Township Office, 320 East Superior Street. The dates and times of the meetings also are listed on our website.

I pride myself in the personal service we provide at the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office. We want to do the job the taxpayers have hired us to do, that is respond to the needs of our constituents and make Wayne Township an even better place to live.

Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.

Wayne Township Trustee