An easy way for Woodlands County residents to submit service requests is just a click away

Woodlands County Council recently went over the Service Tracker report from last month. The tracker was added to the County’s tool chest in April 2021 and allows residents and Woodlands County staff members to make service requests by logging onto the County’s website. Whether residents call in and report to staff or use the website to complete a report, the information is put onto the Service Tracker portal.

In January, 35 requests came through the tracker. Thirty of them were entered by staff on behalf of residents, and five went through from the website. The types of service requests varied, though the overwhelming majority were focused on snowplowing and sanding, with nineteen requests specifically. Much of the snowplowing and sanding requests came from the three divisions nearest to Whitecourt, West, Central, and East, with the most from Whitecourt Central.

The next highest request from last month concerned signs, including a downed yield sign on the ANC Road. Three requests came in for grading/wash boarding and two each for snow plow flags and issues at transfer stations, which included shovelling in Blue Ridge and emptying the sandbox at Goose Lake’s station. Rounding out January’s service requests was one each for water odour, pothole/road repairs, and an electronics issue at the bulk fill station. One, unlike the others, was an employee kudos passed along from the Strike Group, complimenting plow operators on a job well done.

Councillor Alan Deane spoke about the way requests were coming in. “I noticed that 86 percent of the service requests that are going into the Service Tracker were entered by staff, and only fourteen percent were entered by residents through the website. That ratio just seemed really skewed to me.” Councillor Deane said he wasn’t sure how to get the message out to residents so that more would know about the option of putting in requests through the site.

“I think if they knew about this because there’s certainly going to be a lot of residents that don’t, they would use it more than calling in and having staff have to put it in (for them). Anybody that I’ve talked to wasn’t aware of that when I explained it to them and showed them where the link is on the website,” he explained. “They are always grateful and appreciative of it and like the fact that they can do it on their own time. I think we need to do a better job of getting that information out to our residents.”

Councillor Bruce Prestidge joined the conversation. “I think there’s people that look at this and say, if I do it on the Service Tracker, how do I know it’s getting looked at? (Whereas) if they phone in and talk to somebody, they have acknowledgement that their concern is heard. Could we, when somebody puts something in there on the Service Tracker, have an acknowledgement sent back to them, saying that their concern is heard?”

Administration explained that the online form includes a check box where residents can request to be contacted about their concerns. The way the form is structured, it automatically clicks yes. “The resident can opt-out and say no. Or if they want a response, then when they click yes, (and) we give them that response,” responded CAO Gordon Frank.

Councillor Dave Kusch asked about a service request in his division, Anselmo, for snowplowing and sanding. “The one out of my zone, it says (road near twp.) 582/583. The area is maintained by Lac Ste. Anne (County). If it’s part of our agreement or whatnot, that it’s maintained by another county, how can we ensure that our residents are getting service on that road? Is there any type of follow-up on that?” Administration assured Councillor Kusch that follow-up with Lac Ste. Anne did occur.

Councillor Deane mentioned that he had recently spoken to a concerned resident who drives a school bus. They were concerned about the icy conditions in the Whispering Hills subdivision and that it was “dangerous” to turn around. “I see that Range Road 121 is on here, and that was part of the concern, but did that request get to administration about turnarounds in Whispering Hills?” Administration confirmed that it had.

Councillor Jeremy Wilhelm spoke of his appreciation for the infrastructure and administrative staff. “Every time I’ve put in a Service Tracker request, or a resident has put in a Service Tracker request when I’ve asked them to, they’ve always contacted me afterwards and said their issue was dealt with. I’ve said this many times, but this is saving us a huge amount of headaches. Administration’s follow-up on it and the policies around it are excellent, and they make everyone look fantastic.”

Residents who want to put in a service request can access the Service Tracker fillable online form on the County’s website, www.woodlands.ab.ca. The link is located on the main page and states, “Submit Service Request.”