Stevensville’s engaged citizenry now has one more avenue for getting their voice heard. The Town has implemented a digital complaint system, available through its website. Anyone can go online using a computer or smartphone and submit a ticket. That ticket is then sent directly to the appropriate Town department for staff to address the issue.
“We’ve never offered this before, and we’re thrilled to provide this new level of customer service to our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Brandon Dewey.
Previously, citizen complaints came in to individual town departments, which all had their own system for tracking comments and the status of the complaint. Some were still using paper logs. With the new portal, online at www.townofstevensville.com.com, citizens can quickly report issues and will receive a follow-up call or email regarding the issue they report.
“This new portal meets a previously unfulfilled need for streamlined management, tracking, response, and reporting,” said Dewey. “With this form, staff will have more readily available information about the status and disposition of a citizen’s request and will be better equipped to address it quickly.”
The website makes it clear that the new portal is not an emergency service.
As the complaints come in, the Town will be able to use the data to analyze problem areas such as recurring potholes or identifying a zone where neighbors frequently defy parking rules. The Town can also turn to the data for budgeting decisions or performance reviews.
The new complaint portal was an initiative Mayor Dewey says the administration developed to address the concerns of an individual citizen who had submitted nearly 30 complaints over a period of just six months. The issues ranged from hedge heights to posters on street poles. Staff developed a simple portal so that they could more easily track the complaints, which would come through multiple channels and departments, making it difficult to track progress and determine who was going to handle the issue.
“We recognized a special accommodation was necessary in order for us to do a better job in how we process complaints from this citizen,” said Mayor Dewey. “We also needed a structured means for them to communicate issues to us.”
When the portal went live, staff experienced the unexpected. Submissions started flowing in over the weekend with many requesting a portal for everyone so that feedback from the community could be heard. Some submissions included things like, “This is a great idea, can I submit things too?” or “You all do a great job and need to hear positive feedback on what you do for our Town.”
The administration immediately began working on changes to the portal Monday morning, having a new form and system launched by noon.
Mayor Dewey says that while a few citizens reached out with complaints about singling out a citizen, that was not the intent of the original portal. He says the ultimate result, though unexpected, is a testament to community and public input shaping how their government hears feedback and provides services.