There is an underlying defect in the way Allen County government works that will not be fixed by software or any amount of employee coaching.
The biggest arsenal of tools cannot override an ever-present fear among government workers that they are not allowed to do what is right, regardless of the politics, whims or personalities involved. We have to foster a culture of “Yes!” in local government before any other approach to improving customer service has a chance of success.
Too often, routine decisions at the county level require executive approval. These decisions have to wait on a back-burner until a meeting with executives can be arranged and/or a county attorney can analyze the solution to a problem. Solutions that reasonable people expect to take hours or days take days or weeks (or longer).
As someone who has been both an elected officeholder and an appointed county department head, I have never thought the problem with local government had much to do with its processes and employees. I have long believed that the problem lies in the unwillingness of elected executives to relinquish enough authority to allow employees to do their jobs and serve their customers as quickly as possible.
When A plus B always equals “Yes,” Allen County employees should always have the authority to say “Yes.”
This is the approach to service that I have taken in the Recorder’s Office. The results are clear. Customer satisfaction at all-time highs. An unprecedented number of new and innovative ways in which to do business with the office. A 69-day turnaround time reduced to one day or less. Customer requests fulfilled in real-time, no longer subject to arbitrary rules.
I have championed a culture of “Yes!” before and I will do it again as Allen County Commissioner.