That old saying, “that you can’t fight City Hall,” probably doesn’t apply in Palm Coast. Most likely, you won’t need to anyway.
At least that is the philosophy that Brittany Kershaw, director of communications and marketing for the City of Palm Coast, said city workers strive to convey to the citizens that come to their various offices.
“We have front line facing customer service personnel for a variety of our different departments where people come to get help and they have an incredible turnaround time,” Kershaw told Palm Coast Magazine. “Usually, their help is delivered right on the spot if they can. When they cannot, they are proactive in getting in touch with someone else to handle the need as quickly as possible.”
Kershaw said the first interaction most residents have with city employees is when they sign up for utility services.
She encourages new residents to sign up for “Connect” at the city’s website: www.palmcoastgov.com.
“Connect” is found as the second choice option on the top banner of the main landing page of the website. It is colored blue with the word, “Connect” written in white lettering.
“Here people can find all the information they need. They will get a welcome email that walks them through how to sign up for trash pickup, who their city council representative is, how to find various types of information about the city, where they need to go if they need a permit and how to contact law enforcement which is through the county sheriff and not the city,” Kershaw said. “One of the most common questions involves what things is a permit required for.”
Currently, permits are required for driveway repair or tree removal as well as other activities. It is best to check first, Kershaw said. Good news: The city recently did away with requiring permits to build a fence, she noted. to
“Connect” also offers another feature Kershaw said is a huge plus for citizens and city employees to remain in contact during projects. It is an online ticketing system that provides real time updates as to the progress of the request made by a resident.
“These tickets go directly to the city employee responsible for taking care of that issue,” Kershaw said. “The system creates the online ticket and the work order immediately and allows the resident to stay in communication they whole time. It is highly open communication every step of the way.”
Another cool feature of “Connect” is the ability for users to look up their water usage at any time
We clicked on “Connect” and found several helpful segments. “Help Center” answers a plethora of questions ranging what to do with a neighbor is overwatering or if installing an above ground pool requires a permit plus much more. The “Stay Connected – Stay Informed” offers regular city updates. Garage sales are listed. “Get Involved” lists citywide calendar events dominated by offerings by the parks and recreation department as well as dates of council meetings and deadlines for upcoming bids.
Another handy listing: The scheduled vendors for Food Truck Tuesdays as well as the dates that the event proceeds support local charities.
“The city provides its residents with all the information they need to enjoy living here,” Kershaw said.
