Taveras Says He Will Make City Services More Efficient
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Democratic candidate for mayor Angel Taveras today announced his plan to improve city services using state of the art technology.
“Whether you are a small business applying for a permit or a resident paying your taxes, your interaction with the city should be efficient and courteous. Unfortunately, however, City Hall can be a confusing place for residents and businesses alike,” Taveras said. “As Mayor, I will make sure that City Hall works for its customers - the people and businesses of Providence.”
Taveras’ plan included the following:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST- Bring the Office of Neighborhood Services into the communities they serve by establishing local offices in libraries, community centers and other local organizations. Citizens can then access government services in their own neighborhood rather than coming downtown.
- Create a state-of-the-art website – a citizen dashboard – so that residents can engage city government in a variety of ways without having to enter City Hall.
- Develop innovative ways for residents to interact with City Government, such as reporting potholes on smart phones, paying taxes online and connecting electronically with neighbors about important citywide issues.
- Establish a citywide permit parking system for year-long residents.
- Double the Mayor’s reward - and the associated fines and penalties - for information leading to the detection, apprehension and conviction of individuals involved in graffiti vandalism.
- Streamline city interaction by creating a one-stop 3-1-1 hotline to report broken street lights, lost pets, noise violations and the like.
- Place important city meetings including the School Board, the City Council, and more online on live streaming video and in online searchable databases that include forums for citizen feedback.
“There is no more important job as Mayor than ensuring that the roads are paved, the streets are plowed and the people of Providence can quickly and efficiently accomplish their business with City Hall,” Taveras said. “My plan to improve city services makes top-notch customer service a priority - the people of Providence deserve no less.”
