New App Connects Social Media Users with Municipal Services

A new Facebook application called the Citizen Request Tracker is making it easier for citizens to report problems and request services from local governments.

The app can be downloaded from Facebook, installed onto a person’s account and then used to contact the city or county about items such as pot holes, graffiti, barking dogs and malfunctioning streetlights. The idea behind Citizen Request Tracker Suite was to make local government more accessible to the modern tech-savvy citizens who use social media sites and mobile devices in their daily lives. It used to be that there would be multiple times that someone would call about something such as a pothole being a problem, in the past, the city would have to address that concern personally, calling, e-mailing or private messaging the person to direct them to the right department. Now the problem can be addressed and responded to more efficiently. Citizens can contact them with requests, ranging from code enforcement incidents to animal services. It is a two-way communication that keeps both parties in check.