City council won’t tolerate inefficiency, laziness from officers

Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has put staff of the City Engineer’s Department on notice that the City Council would not tolerate inefficiency and laziness.

“I think it’s time people start going home. We cannot allow… people to sit down for a second year in important offices and not do their work,” Chase-Green stressed during the city council’s statutory meeting on Monday.

She said that she is prepared to send home staff once the recommendation is brought before the full council.

According to the mayor, based on reports from councillors and the city’s Human Resources Department, the attitude of the staff in the City Engineer’s Department is intolerable. She cited complaints of poor customer service and officers being “lazy” and not acting on complaints made by city residents.

“People are complaining every day of the service provided by the City Engineer’s Department. Sometimes you have people coming three to four months then being told that their application is not in order…,” Chase-Green lamented. “If you ask them to do something, you will get the report three months after,” she added.

She stated that officers are expected to carry out decisions of the council in a timely and efficient manner. She went on to say that in the second year under her leadership there would be a test to show the strength of council.

At the start of 2017, the mayor had said it is a different year for the municipality and that the council would not be tolerating nonsense from officers as it seeks to change its image.