Marana officials have been able to answer residents' questions and quickly fix problems, according to an online tracking system set up by the town.
Since beginning the program in February, residents have filed 40 requests ranging from cleaning up parks to fixing potholes, said Josh Wright, assistant to the town manager.
Residents log requests online at the town's Web site using one of several different request forms. Once a request is sent, town employees are able to respond and track whether the problem is fixed.
The initiative, called the Citizen Request Tracker System, gives residents a quick and simple way to ask for services, said Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat.
But beyond that, the system allows town officials to quickly answer questions and track the overall concerns of the community, Reuwsaat said.
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"Often, staff are responding within the same day," he said. "It really improves our ability to reach out to the community."
The request tracker allows residents to choose from four categories. They are code enforcement, operations and maintenance, parks and recreation, and miscellaneous.
The town received the program free when it redesigned its Web site and spends $200 a month to maintain the system, said Wright, who manages the program.
Most of the requests are service-based, usually having to do with cleaning up brush and vegetation on town-owned property or at town parks, Wright said.
Once a request is filed, Wright receives an e-mail of it. If he has the answer at his fingertips, Wright said he'll often reply immediately.
If it's a more complex problem, he'll forward the request to the appropriate town staffer and monitor how officials respond.
Some residents have even gotten answers on weekends, Wright said.
"It's provided a lot more streamlined, coordinated quality response," he said.
Besides answering questions and helping clean up town property, the request tracker allows the town to better understand the community's needs.
Wright compiles a report at the end of each month that details the type of requests made and how long they took to complete.
With that information, town leaders can make better decisions about providing services. For example, a high number of requests for park maintenance might indicate that the town needs to hire more workers, Wright said.
"We know the statistics and they help us plan better," he said.
How to make a request
The Citizen Request Tracker allows Marana residents to log complaints or requests through the town's Web site.
Requests range from asking to clean up parks to patching potholes.
Residents can choose from several forms, including code enforcement and operations and maintenance.
To file a request, residents can visit http://marana.com/requesttracker.asp and complete one of the forms.
Don't have the Internet? Town officials say they can take your request over the phone at 382-1900.
