Ombudsman
Mission
To serve as a neutral party who provides reliable and accurate, assistance and information to citizens of Richland County.
Goal
To resolve all concerns and requests for service in an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and confidentiality. Providing quality service in an expedient manner, which facilitates a fair and equitable resolution.
Contact
Address:
2020 Hampton Street
Room 3061
Post Office Box 192
Columbia, SC 29202
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
One-Call Response Center
803-929-6000
ombudsman@richlandcountysc.gov
What is an Ombudsman?
An Ombudsman is an impartial dispute-resolutioner, whose major function is to provide informal assistance to citizens and to assist citizens with county concerns and request for service.
- Receives and investigates concerns and requests for service.
- Develops or identifies a range of responsible options to resolve problems and facilitate discussion.
- Helps citizens find alternative solutions and develop new ways to solve problems themselves.
Why Call?
For easy access to county services and officials.
To register concerns or request for service, such as:
- Animal Abuse
- Animal Bite/Attack
- Animal Trap Request
- Barking Dog/Nuisance
- 8 Wheelers in Residential Area
- Damaged Herbie Curbie/Recycle Bin
- Drainage/Flooding Problem
- Sick/Dead Animal
- Illegal Dumping
- Road Paving/Resurfacing
- No Garbage/Recycling/Yard Trash Pick Up
- Pet License
- Pothole
- Overgrown Lot
- Scrape Road
- Stolen/Missing Herbie Curbie/Recycle Bin
- Stray Cat/Dog
- Street Sign/Stop Sign Down/Missing
- Sign Request
- Unlicensed Vehicles
- Unsafe House
How are Calls Processed?
- Trained customer service representative obtain the necessary information from the citizen regarding the request for service and logs information into a database.
- The request is then assigned to the appropriate department for investigation.
- Within a few seconds, before the caller hangs up the telephone, an electronic message is sent to the appropriate department informing them of the request.
- The department assigns the request to a designated person or team for investigation.
- The assigned person is responsible for investigating the matter, for contacting the citizen informing them of the status, and any follow up information pertaining to their case.
- Every step taken is noted and logged into the database; to include date and time contact was made with citizen, and any action taken to resolve the matter. The assigned department follows the case until completion.
Response Time
- Many requests for service are completed within twenty-four (24) hours from the date the request was received.
- If the service cannot be delivered within twenty-four (24) hours from the date the request was received, the assigned department is required to contact the citizen to inform them of the projected date the work can be expected or a projected date a representative will come out to investigate the concern.
- If a citizen has not been contacted by the department within the two (2) day time frame, he or she is instructed to contact the Ombudsman's Office again and an investigation as to why no response was given will be conducted.
Freedom of Information Act
Richland County Freedom of Information Act Fee Schedule:
In accordance with the S.C. Code of Laws, all Richland County departments shall adhere to the following fee schedule:
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Service
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Fee
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a.
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Copying Fee
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$0.25 per page
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A charge shall be levied for each hard copy made by copier or computer printer. If information is emailed, the copying fee does not apply.
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b.
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Records Research
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Gross Hourly Rate
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Hourly fee, pro-rated, shall be based on the gross hourly rate of the person(s) researching the records requested. This time shall include any time for making hard copies of records for the requestor. The department shall not use a department head or supervisor for records research unless such is reasonable due to the nature of the request.
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c.
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Information Provided by Fax
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Gross Hourly Rate
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Hourly fee, pro-rated, shall be based on gross hourly rate of the Ombudsman’s Office employee faxing the requested records.
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d.
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E-mail Search Programming Fees
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Gross Hourly Rate
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Hourly fee, pro-rated, shall be based on gross hourly rate of the IT employee designing and entering the search criteria for the requested records and retrieving the data.
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e.
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Computer Media (CD)
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$5.00 per CD required
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f.
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Public Inspection
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Gross Hourly Rate
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The County shall charge an hourly fee, pro-rated, based on the gross hourly rate of the employee tasked with making records available to the public for inspection. The rate shall be charged for the entire time the records are open for inspection and the employee has control of the records for inspection.
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g.
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Redactions
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Gross Hourly Rate
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PURSUANT TO S.C. CODE § 30-2-50
(A) A PERSON OR PRIVATE ENTITY SHALL NOT KNOWINGLY OBTAIN OR USE PERSONAL INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM A STATE AGENCY, A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE FOR COMMERCIAL SOLICITATION DIRECTED TO ANY PERSON IN THIS STATE.
(D) A PERSON KNOWINGLY VIOLATING THE PROVISIONS OF SUBSECTION (A) IS GUILTY OF A MISDEMEANOR AND, UPON CONVICTION, MUST BE FINED AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR IMPRISONED FOR A TERM NOT TO EXCEED ONE YEAR, OR BOTH.