10-24-11 Regular Meeting of La Porte City Council

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EMPLOYEE OF THE THIRD QUARTER 2011: WALTER LEE During November 2010, Walter was promoted to the position of Meter Reader Supervisor. Walt's duties include providing water utility customer services, re -reading meters, discontinuing meter service, connecting meters for new service, performing maintenance and repair on water meters, installing locks on meters for non-payment, as well as assigning and prioritizing work orders/service requests, training staff and responding to customer complaints. At the time that Walter assumed the supervisor position, meter re -reads were taking a week or more to complete, work orders were two weeks behind, and morale was very low. Walter did not hesitate to jump in and begin a systematic approach to work orders and service requests within the division. He began exchanging worn parts on t he automated meters, and implementing more efficient, time -saving procedures that allows more productivity and increased revenue. During his short tenure as supervisor, over 400 meters have been replaced. Currently, almost one-half of the non -working meters have been eliminated, work orders are up-to-date, service requests are handled in a t imely manner and r e-reads are completed within two to three days. Walter has taken time to properly train staff on repair of water leaks, location of meters that have not been read in years, how to quickly assess a customer complaint and quick and efficient resolution of issues. Walt has a t eam oriented philosophy, which promotes cooperation among his employees, as well as other divisions. He has done a phenomenal job in upgrading the meter reader division's reputation and bridging communication barriers with other departments. Walter is not only respected by co-workers, but his hard work and cheerful attitude is recognized by customers, as well. In the past two months, citizens have been so impressed with his customer service that they took the time and effort to contact the City to praise his work ethic and courteous manner. It is my pleasure and honor to nominate Walter for Employee of the Quarter.