Policy checklist accelerates City Hall’s renewed focus on customer service

COVINGTON, Ky. - Covington City Hall’s ongoing effort to improve customer service by updating the policies, procedures, protocols, and best practices used to provide that service was formalized and given urgency Tuesday night.

 

The Covington City Commission passed an ordinance laying out its policy priorities for the coming year, specifically listing 20 items such as economic development strategy, housing goals, use of the city logo, and tax incentive guidelines.

 

The ordinance directs City Manager David Johnston to make recommendations related to items on the list to the Commission for consideration over the fiscal year.

 

“Clear, well-written policies and procedures create a framework for making consistent and fair decisions,” the ordinance reads.

 

It passed by a 5-0 vote.

 

Johnston said he welcomed the document because it assembles and ties a bow around the Commission’s vision for improving daily operations while also creating a mechanism for ensuring that pieces of that vision are implemented in a timely manner.

 

“It’s one way to provide a system of accountability to ensure that we do what we say we’re going to do,” he said. “Many of these issues are things we’ve been talking about, that we’ve been working on and that were established in the City’s new budget - now we’re telling the public about them.”

 

Johnston said he’s developing a timetable to present to Mayor Joe Meyer and City Commissioners that spells out when they would receive the various recommendations.

 

Both Meyer, who took office in January 2017, and Johnston, who arrived in August 2017, have focused on improving policies and procedures at City Hall, saying those have direct impact on services delivered to residents.

 

“Good customer service can’t occur without an efficient framework of procedures and practices,” Meyer said. “That framework flows from good policy, and policy stems from clear vision. With this ordinance, we’re setting that vision, and we’re doing it in a way that creates accountability and discipline.”

 

The issues on which the Commission wants policy-related recommendations: 

 

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