Kathy Sexton

By Kathy Sexton

For six years, I have served as your city manager. For six years I have worried that the office hours of city hall (8-5, Monday-Friday) may not meet the needs of many residents, especially those who commute to work outside of Derby or have strict restrictions on their working hours. 

Shortly before 8 a.m., I occasionally see people parked in front of city hall waiting to get their water turned on or to perform some other task. At 5 p.m., the front door locks only to be knocked on by someone in fatigues or otherwise obviously rushing from their workplace.

We can do better. 

The city recently enabled online payment of utility bills, which means we now provide several alternatives to visiting city hall. 

Also, the Derby Welcome Center went 24/7 last year. School and community information was made available in the vestibule, which is unlocked and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Steps are in process to update software to enable other services to be put online, and a major project for 2012 is to overhaul both www.derbyweb.com and our community portal at www.derbyks.com, making both websites easier to use. 

Currently under consideration is an idea to expand city hall hours of service to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. 

The purpose would be to make services more available when residents need and want to access them, rather than on Friday afternoons when so few people visit or call city offices. Indeed, it is the least busy time of the week. 

Good stewardship of tax dollars demands that we evolve to meet the changing needs of our customers, and your city is attempting to do just that. Over the next couple months, we will research the idea of adjusting office hours, including soliciting comments from our customers, and then present the issue to the city council for consideration. 

The goal is to improve service without spending more money (maybe even saving a little) and at the same time maintain our status as an employer of choice in the metro area.

Please let me know if you have thoughts about expanding office hours at city hall or any other initiatives to improve customer service. I am available at 788-3132 or kathysexton@derbyweb.com.