City officials hailed Denver’s 311 system as a success Tuesday as they marked the program’s first year.
Director of operations Mike Major said the program boasts a 92 percent satisfaction rate among users, according to the city’s online survey.
“This is unheard of in city government,” Major said.
The 311 system is essentially a customer-service system that allows people to call in or e-mail to contact city services and departments. The help line received more than 460,000 calls and e-mails since last year’s launch.
Mayor John Hickenlooper vowed last year that the system would change the way residents connect with city government. Denver’s costs were $1.3 million in the first year of operation.
Over the past year, questions about recycling and trash removal have been by far the most common topics with nearly 26,000 and 23,000 calls respectively.
Snow-removal questions came in third with 8,300 calls.
“While it was a very busy first year, it gave us the opportunity to fully test the new 311 system,” Hickenlooper said in a release.
Still, not everyone is fully sold. Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz was frustrated with a feature that let residents follow their case. For most of the year, the feature showed cases as “closed” when they were transferred out of the 311 system – not when a pothole was filled or stray dog was corralled.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
