What Happened
The Planning Department in the city of Mount Airy, North Carolina, recently implemented a radical policy: Call or visit businesses instead of sending threatening letters. The simple, somewhat obvious policy has saved money and improved relations within the city.
So What?
Sometimes simple, basic communication policies can have a material impact on efficiency and effectiveness. That was the case in Mount Airy, a small city of 10,000 located close to the Virginia border. Though Gov1 editors almost passed on including this article, we thought it might be a nice reminder to municipalities that personal connections still merit attention in this digital era.
The Details
As is the case in most cities, code violations are typically addressed with letters that appear—at best—accusatory, and—at worst—threatening. The city of Mount Airy had outsourced its planning functions to a company called Benchmark, and one of its partners—in his role as a Mount Airy Planning Department official—had noticed that code violations were often simply misunderstandings that could be remedied through voluntary compliance.
According to reports, the official “recommended that code enforcement personnel be given latitude to make initial ‘courtesy calls’ when violations surface.”
The Benefits
The policy quickly proved a success in terms of time savings, costs, and improved communications or “goodwill.” Among the many benefits to personal communication in these instances:
- Relationships: Launching a formal procedure to address a code violation immediately puts the recipient on the defensive. Making informal contact with the owner creates a channel for dialogue that can be more open and productive.
- Productivity: If the goal is remediation of the code violation, then communication works. Mount Airy found that simply talking to residents solved many code issues, without having to resort to formal letters or threats.
- Speed: Often, when property owners are told of code violations, they were truly unaware they were in violation, and would quickly remedy the situation. This is preferable to a property owner getting a violation notice and calling their lawyer.
- Savings: Mount Airy, like most cities, faces significant fiscal challenges, so managing the city effectively is critical. The Planning Department’s communicative approach helps avoid legal expenses and enforcement costs.
Research
Many studies have been conducted on the advantages of personal face-to-face communication over letters or emails. A researcher at Cornell outlined many of these in a recent study on another topic; “building trust” was one of the many advantages cited in related studies, and Mount Airy’s Planning Department has found it has achieved just that with its policy of courtesy visits and calls.
Do you have experience with personal communication policies at your city or town? We want to hear from you: feel free to contact Gov1 at any time.