Road Department Sets Plans, Policies

Benton County To Post Information Online

— The Benton County Road Department will use online technology to be more open and accessible to the public.

The department soon will post a written policies and procedures manual, along with a map showing the proposed work plan. An electronic service request form will allow residents to report potholes and other road problems.

“I think we should have this information available for people and I couldn’t find anything out here, so we’re doing it from scratch,” said Scott Stober, public services administrator. “It will be a couple of weeks before it’s all posted.”

At A Glance

New Website

Benton County has launched a new website — www.bentoncountyar.gov — and many departments and other agencies will be making use of the new features. The old website will remain active for some time as people are directed to the new address, according to Sidney Reynolds, head of the county’s Information Services Department.

Source: Staff Report

Stober, who oversees the Road Department, said the policies and procedures manual is being reviewed and edited and will be online when the work is completed. A map of the planned 2013 work schedule also will be available along with the service request form.

Stober said he hopes the form and the processes he intends to put in place will increase response time and avoid communication breakdowns that have caused complaints in the past.

“The public will be able to go online and fill out one of these service request forms and within 24 hours we will respond to them about their complaint,” Stober said. “When we’re finished with it, we will email them to let them know what we’ve done.”

Justice of the Peace Tom Allen said making more information easily available will always be helpful, but he doesn’t expect it to reduce the volume of calls he receives about roads.

“I think the road plan is a very good plan and I think the work they’re doing putting all this information on the website is fantastic,” Allen said. “Those people that are concerned enough to call now are probably going to call anyway. The information on the website might help people who just have a question, but if they have the time, a lot of people will still want to talk to a person. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”

Justice of the Peace Kurt Moore, who’s been on the Quorum Court since 1998, said the volume of calls complaining about roads has dropped the last few years, something he gives the Road Department credit for.

“I think the form people can fill out will be good, but more important is the Road Department following up,” Moore said. “A lot of people want to actually talk to a person about their problems. This will also mean there’s a paper trail. I’ve had lots of calls in the past from people who said they’d called with problems and nothing was ever done. This way they can say ‘I sent an email’ about a problem on a certain date and have a record of it.”

County Judge Bob Clinard said he’s reviewed the policies and procedures manual and has some suggestions and additions.

“I think it’s informative for the public,” Clinard said. “I think they can go there and get some of their questions answered. I do see some things we need to add. We don’t have anything about our grading plan — how we go about grading, when we grade — but it can be added.”

Clinard said people need to understand how the Road Department operates and the road plans that are developed each year are proposals, not absolute commitments. Having a plan allows the county to organize its manpower and equipment to get the most work done, Clinard said.

“It’s good that we have a policy and a plan,” Clinard said. “We don’t just wake up in a new world each day and wait for calls and complaints to come in. We’re trying to be proactive.”

Clinard said the website and the electronic service request isn’t an effort to avoid calls from residents.

“Many of the questions they might have are answered in the policy and procedures manual,” he said. “If they’re not answered, it should tell them exactly who they need to call.

“I don’t consider those complaints, I consider that good information. The people that travel those roads every day know what shape they’re in.”

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