If you have a complaint about Bradford’s town operations, staff are preparing to hear it.
Committee of the whole recommended council approve the new public complaint policy based on a report from Jen Kinsella, the municipality's records and information management coordinator, during a March 19 meeting.
“The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury aims to deliver exceptional, equitable, and accessible customer service,” according to the policy. “If customers are dissatisfied with the service they receive, the Town wants to make it easy for them to make a complaint.”
Expected to take effect April 15, the policy provides the process for residents to make a complaint and request a resolution, and if an early resolution can’t be reached, the policy outlines how residents can submit formal complaints in writing.
Those are expected to be received by the clerk, who would acknowledge receipt within three days and direct the complaint to the relevant director, the chief administrative officer or the mayor, depending on the nature of the complaint.
Additional information would also be gathered and compared against related policies, procedures, legislation and best practices before a decision is rendered, and after being reviewed by legal, risk management and procurement staff.
Where possible, the policy suggests this should be done within 30 days.
“By providing timelines, the complainant can have clear expectations as to when they will get a decision,” Kinsella said in the report.
Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper said he was “quite pleased” with the policy and Mayor James Leduc agreed, calling it “a good process for our residents to follow,” and adding his hope that most instances can find early resolution.
“It’s incumbent upon us to make sure that we do our best to serve our residents to the best of our ability and resolve these issues before it has to go to complaints,” he said.
The policy covers complaints to the town about the quality or timeliness of customer service, or concerns that the town failed to complete a task or that it wasn’t completed in accordance with town policies.
“As the community continues to grow, it is important to provide mechanisms to handle complaints that emerge and ensure the public can rely on processes that are consistent and fair,” Kinsella said in the report.
The policy does not cover certain types of complaints including but not limited to:
- Complaints for bylaw enforcement
- Suggestions, compliments or general feedback
- Anonymous complaints
- Complaints about the actions of council or any of its committees
- Complaints about members of council or any of its committees violating codes of conduct
- Complaints about whether a council meeting was properly held
- Complaints about outside boards and agencies (including the library, police services and drainage boards)
- Any matter which can be appealed to a court or tribunal
Complaints are expected to be recorded and reviewed with statistics on the number, nature and status reported to council periodically.
While there are no financial impacts directly associated with the policy, Kinsella noted that having and using the policy could mitigate legal costs for the town in the future.
Recommendations from committee of the whole are considered for approval at the next regular council meeting.
