Local Government Complaints/Ombudsman Offices

Programs such as governmental, departmental or nonprofit ombudsman offices that provide assistance for people who want to register complaints about or have other issues which relate to the activities, actions or lack of action by public officials or civil service employees in city, county or regional government offices or the agencies they regulate and/or fund. Also included are programs that handle complaints about the availability and quality of city, county or regional services, e.g., trash collection, recycling, street maintenance and traffic control. The program provides an objective, neutral and independent review of complaints; offers reasonable remedies when complaints are substantiated; and uses information from the complaints and the investigations they trigger to identify and resolve problems within the agency or department and improve services.