Good Job

[jrw]

I had to go into the county tax office and the division of election yesterday and I was amazed at the service I got. The gentlemen who help at the tax office was great and women at election was just as good. They were friendly and professional. They only other time I had to deal with a county worker it was totally different story. I wish I would got there names. They made my day.

jrw

[birchl]

I just went to the county tax yesterday too!! And same as, they were friendly and helpful and did my tax assessment there and then so I could take the reciept back with me. The other place that falls over themselves to be helpful is the DMV in pahoa.

#10048;

[Tink]

That's great! Now if the rest of the County offices would follow suit, it would be fantastic. I used to work for a city as a Building Inspector, and I treated everyone with respect and courtesy, and gave residents an "inside" track to follow to achieve their goal if needed. Being nasty to a resident of the community you serve only brings hate and distrust, and in my instance, more structures built without inspection and usually found unsafe in some manner. I shared with my colleagues that being respectful and courteous gains trust, plus, who else can they go to for what is required and cut the "red tape" to establish a good working relationship with the community. Somehow through all this the building inspector was no longer the enemy, but more of a consumer advocate to the homeowner, which made my job easier.
For example, if I got sent out to an address for unpermitted work, I would inform the person that they need a permit for what they are doing, then ask them to make a commitment to me as to when a permit will be pulled. I respected their "drop dead" time they gave me, while informing them they made the time commitment, and that I would hold them to it, enforcing at the time they gave me instead of at the time I was dispatched. Usually got the permits earlier than they said they would without any hassle, and the rest of the inspections went smoothly. A little kindness goes a long way.

Are you a human being, or a human doing?

[peteadams]

Some years ago we actually got a phone call from the county tax office telling us we were paying too much on our property taxes, they had noticed the problem and were correcting it! Can't get much better service than that! A few weeks ago I went to the Hilo DMV office with a slightly complicated problem but I was prepared. The line was a bit long and one auto salvage guy with a fistful of titles occupied one window the whole time I was there. Nonetheless, there were only brief and friendly side conversations with the clerks and the line moved at a very reasonable speed. When I got to the window the clerk was cheerful and I got my business completed in a few minutes. I've also had good experiences with the Pahoa DMV office and recently the state circuit court administrators. So mahalo nui to the folks who man those offices and serve the public!