In the new year, Berliners might still face difficulties in securing short-term appointments at the Citizens' Registration Office despite plans to the contrary. This unsettling reality was acknowledged by the State Secretary for Administrative Modernization from the CSU, Martina Klement. Klement admitted that the situation in the citizens' offices has been tough for years, and the measures put in place to improve it are progressing at a slow pace.
Originally, Kai Wegner, the ruling mayor of Berlin, from the CDU, had promised that the 14-day target for appointments would be achieved in 2023. Wegner hoped to provide services to citizens without making them wait 14 days. However, it seems like realizing this may take some time yet.
As part of the 14-day target project, the citizens' offices will receive an additional 100 jobs, boosting their workforce. The majority of these positions are currently being advertised, and some have already been filled. The state secretary has reached an agreement with the districts to ensure that these vacancies are filled within six months, or else they will be distributed to other districts to quickly alleviate the busy atmosphere in the offices.
In her opinion, digitalization holds the key to noticeable changes in the citizens' offices in the first half of the following year. Klement is confident that digitizing frequently requested services will help ease the workload in these offices, thereby providing better service to the citizens. While digitalization is a necessary step forward, it will not happen overnight.
Klement also emphasized the importance of the districts preparing for repeat elections by setting up permanent electoral offices in the districts using positions from the Senate Chancellery budget. This would prevent the citizens' offices from having to lend staff for election preparations and conducts in the future, thus contributing to smoother scheduling in the offices.
Digitalization can play a significant role in alleviating the challenges faced by citizens' offices. For instance, implementing an online appointment-booking system or digital health services can streamline processes and make things more manageable. Improving the physical infrastructure of these offices with modern amenities, flexible working hours, and digital kiosks can lead to a better experience for the citizens. Fairly distributing jobs among districts, providing training, and ensuring the integration of citizens' offices with digital platforms can also help in easing the workload. Lastly, promoting digital services and educating the public can encourage more citizens to leverage technology for appointments, further reducing foot traffic and wait times.
