A new customer contact centre is being created at Barrie City Hall, to make finding information a little easier.
Once the new concept is in place on Nov. 28, the city's main switchboard, information desk, legislative and court services, part of the finance department, and roads, parks and fleet customer service will be available on the main floor of city hall, located at Collier Street.
Residents will be able to pay taxes, get a recycling bin, inquire about a tree on their property, and put in service requests without being redirected to another location.
In addition, corporate recreation, corporate facilities, engineering and environmental services departments will also be included in the centre in 2017
The goal is to “enhance the quality and efficiency” of interactions between residents and the city.
At the same time, the city has launched a citizen satisfaction survey as a way to "gain insight from residents on their perceptions of the quality of life in Barrie, their satisfaction with municipal programs and services and to identify opportunities for the city to improve."
Forum Research Inc. will conduct a random telephone survey of 1,000 Barrie residents from all 10 Wards on cellular and landline services, until Oct. 25.
Residents will be asked for feedback on a variety of issues, including satisfaction with city services, Council's goals and strategies and customer service.
"This is a way for us to understand how people feel about city services . . . and for us to get better at things," said Mayor Jeff Lehman.
"It really helps us . . . and if you get a call, I hope you are willing to spend a few moments on the phone with these folks."
While the survey includes screening and demographic questions to ensure respondents live in Barrie, residents will not be asked to provide personal or payment information.
When completed, results will be compared to previous surveys conducted in 2008, 2011 and 2013 and posted at barrie.ca/MyBarrie.
