2 min read
Posted on 05.26.05
  • 2 min read
  • Posted on 05.26.05


The Citizens Service Bureau is the City’s customer service department. CSB phone operators accept complaints — and compliments, too — about city services. Most of the time, they do a very good job.

But, even a good job can be better. So, CSB personnel have begun accepting some service requests via the Internet on a specially designed e-form. (The most urgent requests, like a tree lying in the street, still require phone calls.)

Here’s how the process works:

  • A resident sends in a request on-line.
  • The next business day, CSB personnel create a work order and email the work order number and the estimated date of completion to the resident.
  • The resident is invited to call in after the estimated completion date to check on progress.
  • In the near future, residents will be able to check the status of work orders on-line.

    I wondered what sorts of things were being reported on-line, so I asked.

    Here’s the roster of the most recent thousand or so on-line complaints:

    Request inspection — exterior violation 174
    One street light out 86
    Debris around occupied building 54
    Unsecured vacant building 53
    Debris on a vacant lot or around a vacant building 35
    Stop sign down or turned 31
    Refuse not collected 29
    High weeds around occupied building 29
    Derelict vehicles on private property 27
    Tree trimming for City-owned trees at the curb 26
    Report illegal dumping 26
    Tree removal for City-owned trees at the curb 25
    Pot hole in the alley 24
    Container overflowing 24
    High weeds on a lot or around a vacant structure 24
    All street lights out on block 20
    Requests emailed directly to a staffer and not broken down here 16

    Now we know. Here’s the link
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