DOVER, DE- For the past two months, the Dover City Council has been working on ways to improve tracking and resolution of constituent complaints. Soon, they’ll be introducing a new dashboard program called Citizen Problem Reporter, designed to enhance communication between the council and residents.
With this program, council members will be able to record resident issues in Citizen Problem Reporter, where complaints are assigned to the correct department for resolution—a move they hope will “put neighbors on easy street.”
Sharon Duca, assistant city manager of Dover, says the Citizen Problem Reporter dashboard system aims to organize and monitor complaints, improving responsiveness and communication throughout the city.
“If someone says a street light is out or there’s something abandoned in the roadways, we can enter that in there, send it to the correct department to address, and then that department will respond with the resolution. Council can watch it as it moves forward through the process."
The program, which has already proven successful in departments such as Public Works, Water, and Electric, is not intended for emergencies, which should still be directed to 9-1-1.
Councilman Brian Lewis expressed optimism about the council’s involvement, noting that the system will help improve communication throughout the city.
“It’s going to allow us as council members to keep an update on what’s going on—we can go on the system and see how it progressed or at what point the complaint is at."
City officials say the next step is training before the reporting system officially launches, helping council keep a close eye on community needs.
