The Shire has a policy that Shire Officers (unfortunately does not include Councillors) respond to questions within 12 working days of receipt at the Shire Offices. This response can be an answer to your question or letting you know that the answer will take some research and will be forthcoming (hopefully, they will tell you when you can expect an answer). The shire also touts a 99%+ performance rating to this standard.
It is best to put these questions in writing to the Shire at:
RE: (put subject indicator here)
Mornington Peninsula Shire
Private Bag 1000
Rosebud Vic 3939
Unfortunately, emails have a tendency to “get lost” in the system’s black hole. The Shire is currently installing a new communications system that will be able to track emails but for now the written word is best. I’ll let you know when this new system is up and running.
All Shire correspondence has a reference number (a great big long one) and you should use this reference in any dealings with the matter. And, as always, a time line of documentation is important: who did you talk to, when, what was discussed, etc... In the end the responsibility to get an answer rests with you. If you do not follow up then it is unreasonable to complain. No system is perfect.
It is always a good idea to copy your Councillor on all correspondence so he/she knows what is going on and, of course, they are the last resort to get results or to resolve issues to your satisfaction. Sometimes you have to accept the word “NO” (one word I have a great deal of trouble with).
If your Councillor is lax and does not help you resolve your problem then it is in your best interest to do everything in your power to make sure this person is not elected in the next election. It is the ultimate weapon you have.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Questions put to your Councillor
It is unreasonable to expect your Councillor to be able to personally answer all questions asked of him/her as many of them require professional inputs of a technical nature.
So it is quite appropriate for your Councillor to refer many questions to the Officer who is responsible for that particular subject.
You should expect that your councillor will communicate with you and tell your question has been forwarded and who it has been forwarded to. It is also reasonable to ask your Councillor (being as the question was posed to her/him) to follow up if you do not receive an answer within 12 working days from when it was forwarded (this is a shire policy for Shire Officers responses but, unfortunately, not for responses from out elected officials).
If you are not happy with the response from the Officer then you need to solicit the support of your Councillor to get it “fixed”. This may come in many types of remedy including a face-to-face meeting with the Officer and your Councillor to work it out.
If you do not get the support you feel you should get you can contact the Mayor and, as always in the last resort, if you are not happy with the response you get from your elected official do everything in your power to make sure the current Councillor is not re-elected.
As always make sure you have a documented time line of what happened and when and any document references. In dealing with large bureaucratic organizations (be it Government or not) documented time lines of what happened and when is essential.
So it is quite appropriate for your Councillor to refer many questions to the Officer who is responsible for that particular subject.
You should expect that your councillor will communicate with you and tell your question has been forwarded and who it has been forwarded to. It is also reasonable to ask your Councillor (being as the question was posed to her/him) to follow up if you do not receive an answer within 12 working days from when it was forwarded (this is a shire policy for Shire Officers responses but, unfortunately, not for responses from out elected officials).
If you are not happy with the response from the Officer then you need to solicit the support of your Councillor to get it “fixed”. This may come in many types of remedy including a face-to-face meeting with the Officer and your Councillor to work it out.
If you do not get the support you feel you should get you can contact the Mayor and, as always in the last resort, if you are not happy with the response you get from your elected official do everything in your power to make sure the current Councillor is not re-elected.
As always make sure you have a documented time line of what happened and when and any document references. In dealing with large bureaucratic organizations (be it Government or not) documented time lines of what happened and when is essential.
Registering Complaints by Phone: 1.300.850.600 or email: custserv@mornpen.vic.gov.au
You can register complaints for action by calling or emailing the shire office.
It is important that you ask for a reference number so that you can follow up on your complaint if it is not “fixed” within a reasonable time. It is not shire policy that results will be communicated due to the high quantity of complaints. If you email then request the reference number be sent back to you by email. If this does not happen then you must follow up and make sure you obtain one.
These complaints can include things like junk cars in the yards, un-mowed vacant lots, pot holes in the road, etc. etc. etc.
If after a reasonable time these complaints are not addressed then write a letter to your councillor (in all cases a letter works best vs. an email or phone call). Make sure you include all relevant information
• Reference Number
• Date of original complaint
• Dates of follow up
• Any other pertinent data.
You can then expect that your councillor will check into it and get back to you or have the appropriate Shire Officer address the problem. If this does not happen then the next step is to write the mayor with a copy of the letter you sent to your councillor ( again, document all actions taken to resolve the issue) If this does not work then do everything you can to make sure you get your councillor and the mayor unelected in the next election.
Again it is best to do this in written letter format. And whenever dealing with any issues in the Shire, documentation with facts and dates are essential.
It is important that you ask for a reference number so that you can follow up on your complaint if it is not “fixed” within a reasonable time. It is not shire policy that results will be communicated due to the high quantity of complaints. If you email then request the reference number be sent back to you by email. If this does not happen then you must follow up and make sure you obtain one.
These complaints can include things like junk cars in the yards, un-mowed vacant lots, pot holes in the road, etc. etc. etc.
If after a reasonable time these complaints are not addressed then write a letter to your councillor (in all cases a letter works best vs. an email or phone call). Make sure you include all relevant information
• Reference Number
• Date of original complaint
• Dates of follow up
• Any other pertinent data.
You can then expect that your councillor will check into it and get back to you or have the appropriate Shire Officer address the problem. If this does not happen then the next step is to write the mayor with a copy of the letter you sent to your councillor ( again, document all actions taken to resolve the issue) If this does not work then do everything you can to make sure you get your councillor and the mayor unelected in the next election.
Again it is best to do this in written letter format. And whenever dealing with any issues in the Shire, documentation with facts and dates are essential.
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