LTC 305-2013 Residential Homeowners Permit Help Desk m MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 30S -aoi3 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Me bers of t City Commission v,
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: August 29, 2013 r
SUBJECT: Residential /Homeowners Permit He Desk '
The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to update the City Commission on the Building
Department's efforts to publicize its Homeowners Help Desk and to provide utilization
summaries for the initiative.
At, the August 21, 2013 Budget Workshop, some members of the City Commission
suggested that more publicity for the new initiative was necessary to increase utilization of
the program by residents. Both staff and the Administration agree that the Residential Permit
Assistance Program should be publicized to the fullest extent,. and efforts to do to will
continue aggressively. The program was the subject of an article in the "Summer 2013"
edition of MB Magazine, and has also been featured on MBTV. There is a featured link on
the home page of the City's web site with - information on the program. Large posters
advertising the initiative are located in the second floor lobby of the Building Department,
and throughout the first floor entrance to City Hall where the desk is located. Additional
efforts will be made to reach out to each individual Neighborhood Association to actively
engage them in publicizing the project, as well as other groups and associations throughout
the City.
For the period of May 28, 2013 to August 16, 2013, the Residential Permit Help Desk
assisted a total of 2,497 people. The desk is located immediately to the right as customers
enter City Hall, and is usually the first-stop for anybody seeking information on where they
need to go to transact their business with the City. Though providing this information is not
the primary purpose for the desk, it is an extremely valuable function to serve and fills a
need in our lobby. Approximately 284, or 11 %, of customers utilize the desk for permitting
assistance, amounting to an average of four to five people per day. It is important to note
that the help desk provides more than just "question and answer" assistance with permits.
Where necessary, the Permit Clerk will walk a homeowner through the process both on the
first floor and in the Building Department lobby on the second floor. Permit assistance visits
can be quite time consuming. Utilization of the Help Desk has already increased dramatically
from its inception and is expected to continue to grow as positive "word of mouth" and our
publicity efforts continue. Finally, the first floor Permit Clerk is equipped with full computer
access and is able to fill any down time with work that has been pre- assigned.
We hope that this information has addressed any questions you may have about the
Residential Permit Help Desk. Please let us know if you need any additional information.
JLM /JJ /MVF /SS