New Schedule to Improve Customer Service in Construction Services

Aug 19, 2009 - Construction Services

New Operating Hours Also Help Make City Department More Efficient

(Wednesday, August 19, 2009) The City of West Palm Beach’s Department of Construction Services announced a new schedule today with the goal of improving customer service and making the department as efficient as possible.

Due to a slowdown in business, the Department’s staff has been working 32 hours a week for the past few months. Because the Department remained open five days a week, the reduced staff hours meant that the Department was operating with reduced staff levels.

Effective August 21, 2009, the Department will be open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This new, four-day-a-week schedule will allow for the department to be fully staffed during operating hours rather than having reduced staffing.

“As we expand our on-line services and move toward doing more things digitally, we still recognize the importance of providing top quality customer service face-to-face,” said Department of Construction Services Director Doug Wise.

Residents and businesses will continue to have access to the Department’s website 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The website is wpb.org/construction.

WPB first city in Florida to receive prestigious building honor

Mar 17, 2008 - Construction Services, Mayor's Office

(Monday, March 17, 2008)  The City of West Palm Beach’s Construction Services Department has become the first such municipal department in the state of Florida, and only the fifth in the nation, to receive a prestigious honor from an industry group.

The Construction Services Department has earned the Building Department Accreditation awarded by the International Accreditation Services (IAS).  The accreditation certifies that the Construction Services Department is operating effectively, maintaining high standards and doing business in an ethical, legal and professional manner.

“This honor recognizes the West Palm Beach Construction Services Department as one of the best building departments in the country,” said Director Neil Melick.  “The accreditation proves we are following all building guidelines for protecting public safety in our City.”

In order to get the accreditation, the department voluntarily submitted to intense scrutiny by the IAS, an independent, third-party agency.  The evaluation covered policies, procedures, processes, information systems and management practices.  An IAS team visited the department, interviewing personnel and representatives from the local construction industry.

The IAS is a non-profit public-benefit corporation that has been a recognized accreditation body since 1975 and is recognized as one of the leading accreditation bodies in the United States.  The IAS is a subsidiary of the International Code Council.