By Elizabeth Cloutman
The Los Altos Hills Planning Department has begun to receive responses to the 1,000 customer satisfaction survey forms it sent about six weeks ago to residents who have recently completed the building permit application process.
Planning director Carl Cahill said that thus far, the responses have been few - only two - but he was not concerned.
“It takes a while to get good (survey) results,” he said. “Usually, if things are going well, people don’t return (the forms). The two we received were favorable.”
Implementing a resident customer satisfaction survey is one of Mayor Toni Casey’s “Top 10″ goals for her 2001-02 term in order to ensure that the town’s planning staff is meeting residents’ needs. Cahill said he agreed with Casey. “(The customer survey is) a way for improving our process. It’s best to hear from the people actually using it.” Cahill is scheduled to give his first report on the survey at the Oct. 18 city council meeting.
The planning department mailed out two types of checklist survey forms. One was a general form in a leaflet format that covered all the department services - building inspection, building permits, maps, literature and other types of information, site planning review and “fast-track” review.
The second survey form, which was formatted as a postcard, was designed specifically for residents who used the “fast-track” process. Residents whose construction plans meet all town construction and zoning ordinance and policy requirements may use the “fast-track” process.
Plans at variance with these ordinances and policies must go through review by the planning commission, a process that can delay approval by several weeks at best.
The commission makes a recommendation on requests for variances, with the city council making the ultimate decision for approval or denial.
Both survey forms include space for written comments and an option to request personal contact from a staff member concerning problems and suggestions.
Cahill developed the survey forms during July and August. Joe Rose, a planning department summer intern, assisted him.
