02-13-12 Regular Meeting of La Porte City Council

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Walter Lee, Meter Reader Supervisor Employee of the Year It is with great pride that the City of La Porte recognizes Walter Lee, Meter Reader Supervisor, as the City’s 2011 employee of the year. Since being promoted to Meter Reader Supervisor in November 2010, Walter Lee has elevated the performance, morale, and customer service of this division to a new level. Walt’s duties include re-reading meters, discontinuing meter service, connecting meters for new service, performing repair and maintenance on meters, as well as assigning and prioritizing work orders and service requests, training staff and responding to customer complaints. At the time 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 low. Walt jumped right in and began systematically addressing these areas of concern. Today, almost half of the non-working meters have been eliminated, over 400 meters have been replaced, work orders are up-to-date, re-reads are completed within two days, and service requests are handled in a timely manner. Walter has taken time to properly train staff on repairing water leaks, locating previously “lost” meters, quickly assessing a customer complaint, and resolving issues quickly and efficiently. Walt has a team 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 barriers with other departments. Walt’s hard work and cheerful attitude have been recognized by his co-workers and customers. In the last two months, citizens have been so impressed with his customer service that they took the time to contact the City to praise his work ethic and courteous manner. This recognition is well deserved and Walt is a true asset to the City of La Porte.