[November 22, 2009] Hayward's 'virtual City Hall' opens for business Tweet HAYWARD, Nov 22, 2009 (The Daily Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Got a problem with a pothole? A gripe about graffiti? It just got easier to get the word out to someone who can do something about it, with the city's new automated services system. Access Hayward, which went online earlier this month, is a tool that creators are calling "a virtual City Hall." "It's completely new," said Clancy Priest, the city's director of technical services. "Before we had answers to frequently asked questions on the Web site and some phone numbers, the typical low-end Web service you'd get with a lot of organizations." Now, visitors are quickly guided to the right department, where they can find information on a range of topics like construction permits and planning guides, vehicle regulations, bidding on public works projects, animal control and vaccine clinics. Priest said a key feature is the service request system. "Instead of e-mailing someone in the city to say, 'I've got a pothole, can someone come fix it?' and having that get bounced around, this new system makes sure it stays on target," Priest said. "It is automatically routed to the correct person and recorded into the system." The resident will be given a tracking number for the request, and once filed, staff has a set deadline to respond. For example, Priest said graffiti concerns will be addressed within 72 hours, and potholes within five business days. If they are not, supervisors are automatically notified. "If someone doesn't get the job done, they can't run, they can't hide," Priest said. "But we have pretty good people. Some are going 'Whoa!' but the vast majority, even they were getting frustrated when problems weren't being taken care of." Priest said that, ultimately, it's a way for the city to be more responsive to resident concerns. "This is to hold us accountable to people we serve," he said. "It makes sure we do what we're here to do -- serve residents of Hayward." Access Hayward is available online at www.hayward-ca.gov and by phone at 510-429-9273. Eric Kurhi covers Hayward. Reach him at 510-293-2473. Read our blog at www.ibabuzz.com/hayword. To see more of The Daily Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Daily Review, Hayward, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]