George Town residents who are unreasonably persistent, make excessive demands, fail to cooperate, start arguments and show unruly behaviours are being targeted by a new council policy.
The George Town Council is the latest to take a stand against unreasonable conduct in an effort to protect staff and elected members from abusive behaviour.
“Our staff and elected members consistently deliver top-notch services across the municipality,” Mayor Greg Kieser said.
“Although incidents of threats or verbal abuse are rare, they do occur and it’s disheartening to see our team members face such behaviour just for doing their job.”
The policy defines unreasonable conduct as that which may jeopardise the well-being of staff and elected members or disrupt services for others.
In such cases, Kieser said the council may adjust or limit customer services, assign a single point of contact or restrict topics for discussion.
Phone calls that exceed 10 minutes may be “politely terminated” and rambling written communications longer than 10 pages could be restricted.
“Our goal is always to address concerns through understanding and open dialogue with the community,” Mayor Kieser said.
“Formal action is a last resort, but when required, it guarantees a safe and respectful environment for both our staff, elected members and the community.”
