By: Sharon Aron Baron
The City of Tamarac is part of the Citizen Request Tracker app for iPhones where residents can conveniently report problems. This was announced back in the spring of 2011 by the city, however, many residents may not be utilizing this great tool.
Here’s how it works: When a resident observes an issue, whether it’s a home with a code infraction or a snipe sign on a corner, they can quickly submit a photo and description of the problem. (Just don’t do it and drive at the same time) Using the iPhone’s GPS technology, the app automatically pinpoints and sends the exact location of the concern. You can even remain anonymous.
The request is routed directly to the right people who can get the problem fixed; reducing costs and improving staff efficiency. The resident receives a confirmation email and can view the status of their request along with comments posted by city staff – unless you send it anonymously.
After using the app several times, I found that dragging the push pin to the area that I want to report is extremely difficult as I’m usually reporting a problem after the fact. Because of the this, I have to resort to entering the address manually. Hopefully, they will make this a bit more user friendly in future updates.
Download it for free on iTunes. Unfortunately, I did not find this app available for Android devices.
