City Will Use SeeClickFix to Improve Quality of Life, Encourage Greater Civic Participation –
Mason City, Iowa (July 24, 2012) – on Tuesday, the City of Mason City launched a new pilot program that will allow residents to report quality-of-life issues and request city services through an online and mobile interface. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike.
“Issues you can report using SeeClickFix in Mason City are currently being limited to nuisance –related concerns,” according to Pat Otto, Interim Building and Neighborhood Services Director. “There are categories for inoperable motor vehicles, garbage, junk, rubbish and refuse, and overgrown grass and weeds, etc.” “If this pilot program is successful,” continued Otto, “Other departments will be involved and wider varieties of issues will be made available for the public to report.”
With the online and mobile reporting platform, residents can report quality-of-life concerns through service request categories via the Mason City website, custom mobile applications (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), Facebook App, and SeeClickFix.com. When submitting issues via the SeeClickFix mobile app with our custom branding and request types, for example, residents can provide locational, descriptive, and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Once the resident submits an issue, the reporter, Mason City, and anyone ‘watching’ the area will receive an alert. The town can then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the request—and residents following the issue—once it’s been resolved.
“We are hoping to leverage this comprehensive platform to increase efficiency when responding to service requests while improving the city’s infrastructure and quality of life along the way,” said Brent Trout, City Administrator. “And, more importantly, SeeClickFix will help us empower the citizens we serve and encourage them to actively engage with each other, their neighborhoods, and us.”
The partnership allows residents to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by their neighbors. Citizens can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all issues reported in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests—not just the ones they report.
“We are incredibly excited to have Mason City as our first municipal partner in the state of Iowa, joining over 80 other cities and counties across the US that are using our Plus CRM platform to improve quality of life and promote active citizenship,” said Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO. “With our online tool and mobile apps, we place the power directly in the hands of the city’s residents and hope this partnership allows them to realize their full potential as citizens to enact offline results.”
The Mason City SeeClickFix website can be found at http://www.masoncity.net and residents can download iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps at http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps.
About SeeClickFix
SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. SeeClickFix supports the Open311 standard that promotes improved communication between local municipalities and the citizens they serve. The platform is fun and easy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. Over 60 percent of issues reported on SeeClickFix are ultimately resolved. For more information or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.
Apps are what is needed to make your smartphone smart and unique.Im fond of app creating and find it really helpful to use site like Snappii where i can build apps in minutes.
Will I be able to get a free phone and service through the Obama welfare free-lunch program so I too can use this fancy Click-fix app service?
Just call if there is a problem,why does city have to waste money on the software to run this ever heard of the old phone.Now Jim Sberal can just sit behind computer and let the citizens do what he is to be doing out WORKING.Now they can write more civil tickets and bring in some more revenue.Goverment has to control all in this town,but they can’t control problem with crime against their own citizens.It is time to vote everyone of them out of office starting with mayor on down.
…can we all spell “BIG BROTHER” boys and girls…
without sounding like a radical, the most famous (or imfamous) example of this type of “ratting on your neighbor” happened in the 1930’s & 40’s… in GERMANY!
This is nice I guess if you have one of those types of equipment but I am willing to bet there are a lot of folks in this city that don’t. I my case I don’t have it and don’t intend to get it. My cell phone is a phone and I do text some but that is all and that is all I want. Old fashioned I guess. Seems like a waste to me. I always just use my “PHONE” and call.
I’m not going to criticize this idea before it has a chance to work, as it just got started. Usually I just call city hall with my concerns. Anyway, I don’t have one of those fancy expensive phones that do it all. So, would one of you that do, go to the corner of 2nd SW and Monroe where the new dog groomer is and go to the house east of there. Take a picture of all the trash thats behind that house and send it in. lets get the ball rolling and see how it works. The city should demolish both of the houses that are there.
Sorry, I ment 2nd SE and Monroe….
I guess I don’t know what I mean. Too much medicine…
http://www.seeclickfix.com you dont need a “smart” phone, all you need is a computer. I just got the APP and it is kind of neat, it shows their progress in getting the “stuff” fixed/cleaned up.
Will I need a wide-angle lens to get the entire MCPD facility in the picture?
Ha! I wish there was a “like” button in these comments.
Dumb program. I’ve never heard someone say “My neighbors have too much trash in their yard, but I don’t wanna call about it.” Give me a freakin’ break! This is just going to result in less than nothing complaints about piddly crap. Mason City just continues to get more dumb every day. Whenever I’ve had a complaint, I call, I never would be tempted to follow complaints on twitter. WTH??