Customer Service Commitment

Our Merri-bek Promise

At Merri-bek City Council we put the community at the heart of everything we do. We strive to consistently deliver on our promise for our customers to feel we are helpful, engaged, accountable, respectful and timely

Helpful: We provide you with the information you need and guide you to understand the processes and decisions that affect you

• We will make it easy for you to access our services and contact us
• We will share information that is easy to understand
• We will explain the steps to progress your enquiry

Engaged: We listen and understand your needs and the nature of your enquiry

• We will ask relevant questions to understand the detail behind why you contacted us
• We will listen to you and communicate in clear and simple language 
• We will make sure your needs are heard and understood

Accountable: We do what we say we will do

• We will be responsible for everything that we say and do 
• We will be clear about what you can expect from us
• We will be accountable for our actions and commitments we make to you

Respectful: We are respectful, honest and caring towards you and everyone in our community

• We will be open, fair and consistent in our communication, decision making and actions
• We will respect the way you feel and help you understand when we need to make tough decisions 
• We will have empathy and try to anticipate how our actions may affect you

Timely: We are timely and keep you updated as we work to resolve your enquiry

• We will explain the steps and expected timeframes to resolve your enquiry
• We will proactively update you on the progress of your enquiry and let you know if there are delays
• We will resolve your enquiry as soon as we can and within the expected timeframes

Contact timeframes

These are the timeframes in which we will receive and acknowledge your enquiries and requests. If we can resolve your request straight away we will do so. If we cannot resolve your request immediately we will give you further information about expected timeframes for the completion of your request 

• Phone: We will answer calls promptly and aim to resolve your enquiry on the phone. When immediate resolution is not possible we will aim to return your phone call within the next business day
• Online requests: We will acknowledge and begin working on your request within 1 business day
• Social media: We aim to provide updates and respond to enquiries made via social media within 1 business day
• Email: We will acknowledge and begin working on your request within 3 business days. If an enquiry cannot be resolved in this timeframe we will contact you with an expected resolution timeframe
• Post: We will acknowledge and begin working on your request within 10 business days. For enquiries that cannot be resolved in this timeframe we will contact you with an expected resolution timeframe
• In person: We aim to resolve face-to-face enquiries immediately. When this is not possible, we will contact you via your preferred contact details with a response

Help us to help you

• When you contact Council please provide all relevant information and your contact details to help us better understand your enquiry, assist you and provide you with a response
• Ensure your contact details are kept up to date by letting us know when you move or your contact details change 
• Giving your feedback helps us to keep improving our services

Service timeframes

These are the standard timeframes for our commonly used and requested services

• Animal Management
  • We will action requests about stray and roaming dogs and cats as soon as possible and within 1 business day. These requests are called through to officers once reported
  • We aim to complete the investigation into barking dog complaints within 30 business days, due to the complex nature of these requests it may take longer
  • When you request a cat cage we will place you on a waiting list within 2 business days, the wait time is generally about 3-4 weeks
• Drainage
  • We will contact you regarding legal point of discharge requests within 7 business days and provide you with further timeframes for the request
  • We will provide you with a response on your drainage connection permit within 5 business days
  • We will contact you regarding the investigation of blocked council owned drains and pits within 10 business days of a report being received
• Environmental Health
  • We will investigate reports of noise and aim to complete the investigation within 3 months of a report being received as these investigations take time
  • We will investigate reports of unsafe or unsuitable foods and aim to complete the investigation within 20 business days of a report being received
  • We will investigation reports of sewage and grey water discharge and aim to complete the investigation within 20 business days of a report being received
• Event Permits
  • We require event permit enquiries to be submitted within the minimum timeframes to ensure it is completed for the event. Please provide all the requested information to ensure there are no delays
    • Low risk events: minimum 4 weeks prior
    • Medium risk events: minimum 12 weeks prior
    • High risk events: minimum 20 weeks prior
    • Inflatables: minimum 4 weeks prior
    • Wedding: minimum 4 weeks prior
• Footpaths and Roads
  • We will assess asset protection permits and aim to provide a response within 10 business days
  • We inspection and repair damaged footpaths within 20 business days of a report being received
  • We will inspect and repair potholes on Council roads within 10 business days of a report being received
• Local Laws
  • We will inspect and complete an investigation into obstructions on our footpaths within 30 business days of a report being received
  • We will inspection and complete an investigation into unsightly properties within 30 business days of a report being received
  • We will initiate and aim to complete an investigation into construction noise within 30 business days of a report being received
• Open Space
  • We will investigate routine tree maintenance requests on Council land within 30 business days of a report being received
  • We will investigate requests for tree removal within 30 business days of a report being received
  • We appreciate reports of litter and debris in our parks and our maintenance crew will aim to attend as soon as possible and within 7 business days of a report being received
• Parking
  • We will initiate investigation into reports of abandoned vehicles within 10 business days, some of these investigations take time and if the vehicle is registered it can take up to 70 days to complete
  • We will attend reports of illegally parked vehicles and parking violations within 1-3 business days
  • If you request an appeal of a parking fine we will respond to you within 90 days and let you know the outcome of the review request
• Planning
  • We will organise a request for a pre-application planning meeting within 10 business days of receiving a request
  • We will respond to a planning property enquiry with written advice within 10 business days of receiving a request
  • We will initiate a planning enforcement enquiry and contact you within 10 business days of receiving a request, investigations timeframes will vary depending on the complexity
• Street Cleansing
  • We aim to collect illegal dumped rubbish within 2 business days of receiving a report of dumped rubbish
  • For graffiti on council property we will organise clean up and aim to clean it within 10 business days, for offensive graffiti we aim to clean it within 2 business days. Council does not remove graffiti on private property unless it is offensive however we can provide paint vouchers and/or free graffiti removal kits. Kits can be collected from Brunswick Town Hall customer service counter and voucher requests come to the Street Cleansing team
  • We conduct street sweeping on a 4 to 6 week schedule, if you request the street sweeping service outside of these times we will assess the request and respond to you within 7 business days
  • We will respond to reports of overflowing public litter bins within 2 business days of receiving a request
• Waste
  • We will repair or replace damaged bins on request on the next business day after your collection day. Your bin must be empty for the request to take place. If you can, please place the bin upside down with the lid open.
  • We will replace lost or stolen bins within 2 business days of a request being received. If you report your bin as lost or stolen but then find your bin, please let us know.
  • We will collect your missed bin collection within 2 business days of a request being received. Please leave your bin out on the kerb for collection.
  • We will assess any request for a new bin service and respond within 7 business days
  • We will respond to requests to change your bin size within 20-40 days of the request

Feedback and having a say

We welcome any feedback, comments or suggestion to help us keep improving our services. We also love to hear what we are doing well, you can do so on our feedback form

Responding to your concerns 

If you feel that a service we have provided you has not met your needs and expectations please let us know. Complaints can be provided in person, over the phone, via email and post. We will acknowledge and aim to resolve your complaint within 28 business days. If we cannot resolve your complaint within 28 buisness days we will contact you to let you know that we need extra time to investigate.

See more information on our complaint process