Data from city reports and the citizen survey shows that two Peachtree City departments in particular are doing an outstanding job, according to city Councilman Eric Imker.
At last week’s council meeting, Imker praised the city’s Information Technology department for achieving a rare status based on results from the city’s survey. Citizens ranked themselves as being “extremely satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the IT department, with no lower-ranked responses.
Imker also noted that in the first two months of the year, the police department has been responding to a significantly higher number of calls compared to last year.
Police reported 12,281 calls in January and February. That’s up from 8,672 last year for the same time period: a 41 percent increase.
But a big part of that spike is due to a change in the way the department reports “calls,” officials said.
This year police began logging each contact they have with a citizen or a business owner, for example, said police spokesperson Capt. Rosanna Dove.
“The rise was in officer-initiated calls,” Dove said. “… We want to make sure officers are going out there contacting as many people as possible.”
Even without that background information, the raw data was enough to please Imker.
“That means during the months of January and February these folks were out there doing the job of protecting the city and it shows by the numbers in the reports we’re getting,” Imker said. “I really appreciate that Chief Clark, thank you.”
The monthly reports also showed a decline in the number of citations and warnings given to motorists. Citations were at 1,276 for the two-month period this year, compared to 1,682 last year. Warnings were down too, at 1,714 so far this year compared to 2,560 last year.
Also in parsing the monthly reports, Imker said he wants the city to explore more ways to earn a better rate on its cash reserves, as the current rate of return, at “a piddle $64,000” compared to the $6-8 million the city invests “is astoundingly low.”
Imker said he realized their are constraints on how the city can invest its money, but he’s hoping for a change such as a rule interpretation, “that we can invest in something that gives us a little more interest.”
