Caught in act of working well
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 12 years, 4 months AGO
We didn't plan it this way, but in the span of just four weeks, a journalist visited four areas of Kootenai County public service. And no, smarty, the jail wasn't one of them.
Different needs brought the journalist to the Administration Building's second floor information desk, to the recorder's office, to vehicle registration and to driver licensing.
Prepared for long waits and uncaring county employees, in all cases the journalist was pleasantly surprised. Information on passport assistance was quick and friendly, and the customer service representative in the recorder's office was proficient.
In the process of acquiring a new driver's license and, four weeks later, handling the registration of a new vehicle, the journalist again found county employees helpful. If some of them weren't overtly friendly, at least all of them were definitely not rude. Even when there was some confusion calling numbers for waiting people at vehicle registration, employees maintained respect for their customers in the midst of a few rather whimsical moments.
So what, you say? So two things stand out.
One is that Kootenai County residents who haven't had to conduct any business with the county lately might, like our journalist, be pleasantly surprised by the level of service. Sure, it's being paid for by your tax dollars so service should be good, but that cause has not always resulted in the desired effect. Service here and elsewhere has been outright rotten at times.
The other point is that good service never happens by accident. Competent, friendly employees are in the right places. Their department heads and even the Kootenai County commissioners deserve some of the credit for engendering environments like the ones our journalist recently experienced.
Applause might not grab attention like boos do. Good news might not make headlines or even very interesting editorials, but when a taxpayer was closely watching, Kootenai County employees were caught in the act of superior public service. That's information well worth sharing.