The City of San Antonio has been designated a Citizen-Engaged Community by the Public Technology Institute. The designation recognizes excellence in multi-channel contact centers and best practices for the use of 311 services, web portal technology, telephone systems and mobile communications infrastructure. The City was among the top 13 citizen-engaged communities in the nation for 2013-2015.

“We continue to make improvements to increase access and transparency for City services and the method by which citizens get information,” said City Manager Sheryl Sculley. “This recognition validates our efforts to leverage our call center resources with the Internet to provide better service to our residents.”

The Public Technology Institute’s Citizen-Engaged Communities Designation Program challenges local governments to achieve high standards in citizen participation, seamless service delivery and democratic accountability. All applicants were selected for their multi-channel contact center improvements, including integrated communication channels and technology, as well as performance reporting. For the City of San Antonio, this included the newly launched 311 Mobile App and additional website information including 311 Call Center performance standards, as well as the open 311 system which maps all service requests received by the city.

One of the highlights of the city’s application was the recent launch of a 311 mobile app. With the app, available for Apple and Android mobile Smartphone devices, residents can submit service request reports directly to the City of San Antonio for graffiti, junk vehicles, overgrown yards, aggressive or dead animals, pothole repair, and damaged garbage or recycle carts, among other issues. With their report submissions, residents can also attach photos, identify a location, and check the status of a report.

In addition to requesting city services through the new mobile app, residents seeking city services can utilize convenient online resources currently available, including the 311 online self-service portal where citizens can submit service requests. The services can be found at www.sanantonio.gov and are accessible 24 hours a day.

For more information on citizen engagement in San Antonio, please contact the San Antonio Communications and Public Affairs Dept. at (210) 207-7234.

To learn more about the Public Technology Institute, visit www.PTI.org.