NEW HEALTH INSPECTOR, CLERKS BOOST CUSTOMER SERVICE AT ISD

Three

new positions, included in Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone's fiscal 2014 budget

proposal and approved by the Board of Aldermen in June, will also be added.

They follow the recommendations of a 2010 report on Inspectional Services that cited the need for additional staff to handle the

department's increasing workload in order to create more efficiency and

accuracy, in line with Mayor Curtatone's ACE (Accurate, Courteous, Easy)

customer service initiative. A new code enforcement inspector and two

new junior clerks will be hired to bring better customer service and higher

efficiency in tackling quality of life issues throughout the city's

neighborhoods.

Adding two new clerks to the

Inspectional Services office means additional customer service assistance and more

efficient internal processing operations. They will also provide the necessary

administrative support for increases in City permits, licenses, and

inspections, and more efficient data and project file management.

The code enforcement inspector will address rodent control

and public sanitation issues by implementing a systematic program for Board of

Health dumpster licensing and inspections citywide. The inspector's duties will

include inspections, code enforcement and tracking of all licensed dumpsters in

the City, additional support for Inspectional Services' housing and food

inspection programs, and assistance on special Health projects as determined by

the Superintendent.

The 2010 Inspectional Services report requested by the

Mayor's Office also cited a streamlined permitting process as another necessary

step to increase Inspectional Services' efficiency. Along with the three new

positions, Inspectional Services is implementing a new permitting process that

is easier to use and more efficient under new Superintendent of

Inspectional Services Goran Smiljic, who has a background in streamlining the

permitting process for contractors and residents.

"Inspectional

services are paramount to protecting our neighborhoods and quality of life. We

need to stay nimble in responding to issues as they arise, resolving problems

as quickly as possible," Mayor Curtatone said. "These new clerks and inspector

give us the tools we need to respond promptly and decisively to issues around

the city. Streamlining the permitting process benefits homeowners looking to

invest in their homes because they want to stay in Somerville, and developers

looking to invest in our city because they know Somerville is a great

investment."

Effective

July 1, 2013, the Inspectional Services' office has new hours of operation that

better align with contractors' work schedules as

well as homeowners. The office is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8

a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.

 "As our community

continues to grow, Inspectional Services also faces a growing workload. These reforms

will improve customer service for everyone who comes to our office," Smiljic said. "We will work harder and smarter in responding to

the community, protecting our quality of life in every neighborhood, in every

square, and addressing issues around trash, overgrowth, rodents and dumpsters

as they arise."