New City Hall kiosks deliver information
By Linda Shepard
C & G Staff Writer
Like the grocery checkout and the drug store photo department — Troy City hall now has a new self-service computer system.
Troy residents can now access tax information and links to city departments through a computer kiosk in City Hall.
The kiosk is located just outside Troy City Council chambers and was originally designed as an electronic sign-in sheet for those who wished to speak before the council. Budgeted Information Technology Department funds paid for the new $5,600 computer kiosk.
Troy Information Technology Department Director Gert Paraskevin said, “It’s a great way for residents to access information about the city, and the kiosk is very easy to use.”
In addition to the Automated Visitor Information System —which tracks visitors to council meetings and registers how long they talk — the system also saves all information that is entered, allowing people to speak at multiple meetings without having to retype a form.
The kiosk can also be used to access property tax information and links to the city Web site.
“There is information about assessments at the kiosk,” said Troy Community Affairs Department Cindy Stewart. “Property sales information, and millage rate information.”
“It’s also good for checking out city services — if you need a service but you don’t know exactly what you are looking for,” Stewart said.
“If people don’t want to talk to a person at a counter or they just want to browse, this is one way for them to do that,” Paraskevin said. In the future, the kiosk may also offer city maps and more.
Stewart said the city Web site, ci.troy.mi.us, is currently being overhauled. “A new design that is more user-friendly with more information,” she said.
Troy City Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located at 500 Big Beaver, just west of Livernois. For more information, call (248) 524-1147.
You can reach Linda Shepard at
lshepard@candgnews.com