GOVERNMENT Georgetown aims to implement nonemergency phone number
Contacting the city
WHAT IS 311?
311 is a nonemergency special phone number that connects residents of a certain area to municipal services or information. It is the nonemergency equivalent to the 911 emergency system.
are made to the city of Georgetown each month. 30,000 calls
hold times can occur under the current system. 45-minute
is the expected time frame for launching the 311-like system. September 2024
BY TEKIMA JOHNSON
“While we know it’s a big lift, there are some signi cant improvements and bene ts that will really help the citizens as well as departments across the city,” Gipson said during the Jan. 24 City Council meeting. Simplifying the system In September, the city completed a survey in which residents could provide feedback on how they want the city to interact with them. The city of Georgetown receives about 30,000 calls per month on average, Gipson told City Council. The survey showed the top ve
In an eort to condense the maze of 34 dierent phone numbers Georgetown residents have to navigate when they need assistance from the city, ocials are looking to implement a “311-like” system that would streamline the process. 311 is a nonemergency phone line that residents can call to get informa- tion about nonemergency services; le complaints; or report issues such as abandoned vehicles, sidewalk and road repairs, and failed trac signals. Over the past 10 years, the city of Georgetown has seen an increase in
DID YOU KNOW? The system the city of Georgetown is looking to implement is being called “311- like” because the nal number residents will call for services may dier due to the geographic constraints of 311.
WHY DOES GEORGETOWN WANT A 311LIKE SYSTEM? The city of Georgetown has 34 dierent department phone numbers residents can call with questions about the city. A 311-like system would create one centralized phone number.
WHY WOULD SOMEONE CALL 311? Residents can call 311 for any nonemergent concerns, including:
With questions about utilities
reasons the city is contacted are electric or water problems; garbage or recycling; 911 emergencies; nonemergency re and police con- cerns; and public works needs, such as trac signals, roads and ooding. Other common calls to the city were for animal control,
both 911 calls as well as calls for nonemergency city services, according to city ocials. Under the current system, when residents need to contact the city, they can call the main number and be transferred between depart- ments until they reach the correct person, often
“ RECENT EVENTS MADE US REALLY LOOK AT HOW MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS HAD SEPARATE PHONE NUMBERS, HOW CONFUSED PEOPLE COULD GET WHEN THEY DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHO TO CALL.” LAURIE BREWER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
34 phone numbers
Current system
To reach animal control services
To report potholes or stoplight outages
For crime reporting or tips
1 phone number
311-like system
For information about permitting and zoning
SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWNCOMMUNITY IMPACT
the system emphasizes high-quality customer service. Ahead of its implementation, the city has been working with the departments whose calls will be rerouted to the 311 system. Brewer said the city has developed more than 200 scripts that operators will be able to use to address resident concerns. “There are many dierent types of calls,” Brewer said. “[These scripts] will help us have direct answers for the most common questions that Due to residential growth, the city has outgrown its system of handling calls internally. Gipson said the goal of establishing a 311-like system was rst developed in 2021. When the city creates its s- cal year 2023-24 budget, it will include funding to sta and operate the 311-like call center. The customers contact us with.” Establishing the call center
program—including stang—is estimated to cost $1.5-$2.5 million. “We will be stang up in the next scal year to start delivering the services and moving dierent departments, like public works, animal control, code compliance and others over to this 311 type of system,” Brewer said. The city is looking to house the call center at a city building at the southeast corner of I-35 and SE Inner Loop. Longer-range options include continuing to lease space somewhere or potentially building a new facility. Georgetown will also hire repre- sentatives who will have compre- hensive knowledge of city services to sta the program, Brewer said. “It’ll be really important for us to be able to sta it with people who genuinely enjoy helping the public and who portray the image that the customer and Georgetown wants to continue to uphold,” Brewer said.
permitting and code compliance. Each of these calls is handled by a dierent department. If a resident were to call the wrong number, they would be transferred internally, leading to extensive hold times and often resulting in the resident hanging up, Brewer said. “In talking with the council, they had a strong interest in consolidating our customer response team,” Brewer said. “They wanted to gure out a way to help people more directly and just provide better service and more consistent answers.” The 311-like system under consider- ation would maintain the separate 911 dispatch system for emergency calls. The city is working with the Inter- national City/County Management Association, an organization that provides local government entities assistance with implementing best practices to build the 311-like system. ICMA Director of Strategy Manage- ment Lisa Brown said it is important
resulting in time on hold, Assistant City Manager Laurie Brewer said. Alternatively, there are 34 dierent department phone numbers residents can call. A 311-like system would give residents one number to call to access information about all departments, Brewer said. The system Georgetown is looking to implement is being called 311-like because the number residents may end up using might dier from 311 due to geographic constraints. “[Recent events] made us really look at how many dierent depart- ments had separate phone numbers, how confused people could get when they don’t know exactly who to call,” Brewer said. Over the course of the next year, Georgetown ocials will budget for, sta and develop the knowledge needed to implement the 311-like sys- tem, Development Support Manager Seth Gipson said. Ocials said they hope to launch it in September 2024.
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GEORGETOWN EDITION • MARCH 2023
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