Give Citizens 24/7 Access to Municipal Government
In the Citizen Action Center, Citizens Can …
… Pay Any Bill
Literally any bill – a parking ticket, a utility bill, taxes, airport hangar rent, a fine for a code violation – any municipal obligation.
They can use any major credit or debit card or their bank account. They can even pay by phone. And all funds are deposited directly to the appropriate department’s bank account.
All citizens need to know is the amount to be paid and the unique identifying information required by a department to property credit their account. This could be a parking ticket number, their utility account number, the number of their airport hangar or the number on their code violation notice.
The Citizen Action Center will generate a receipt for the citizen and record each and every payment in the citizen’s activity log for future reference.
… Submit Any Form or Document
Making forms and documents available online for citizens to download is pretty common these days. But the problem is these forms are static. Citizens have to download them, print them and fill them out by hand. Then they either have to scan and email the form, address an envelope and find a stamp, or hand deliver it to the municipal office. Arrrggghhhh!
In the Citizen Action Center, forms and documents are automated. Digital forms can be filled out and submitted online. Work that is not completed can be saved and finished later.
Once submitted departments receive the completed form in its entirety as well as a data file with all data from the form that can be imported into internal systems.
… Get Action On Any Issue
No more switchboards, multiple phone transfers, voice mail messages or calls that are never returned.
In the Citizen Action Center, citizens simply choose the issue that is on their mind and the system connects them with the municipal staffer responsible for that particular issue.
Citizens will have the opportunity to provide issue-specific information — like the address of a nasty pothole. And they will be able to upload photos or relevant files. Municipal staffers can reply with questions or alert the citizen when a work order has been issued or when the pothole has been filled.
Citizens can hold the issue open if they feel the issue has not been properly resolved. Or then can close it when they are satisfied.
The Citizen Action Center will maintain a complete record all issues submitted for both the citizen and the involved department.
… Submit a Single Change of Address Notice
Citizens won’t have to notify each department separately when they plan to make a move.
Whether they are moving into the municipality, moving within the municipality, or moving out of the municipality, citizens enter their moving details — moving dates and old and new addresses — just once. The Citizen Action Center will notify all relevant departments of their old and new address and the effective date of their move.
Citizens moving in can specify which service they wish to receive.
Citizens moving out can specify the services they wish to cancel and provide account numbers and other relevant information.
A complete record of all move ins and move out is maintained for the municipality’s future reference.
… Register Their Household or Business
If your municipality has a registration ordinance in place, this is the place for citizens and businesses to easily comply. If there is no ordinance requiring registration, this is the place to gather current, accurate information about the folks living and working in your community.
Here citizens can let emergency responders know how many people and pets are in the household and if any have special needs.
Citizens can also sign up for emergency notifications for weather or safety events and register their contact information for non-emergency communications.
Businesses can let emergency responders know who to contact if an after-hours situation arises and alert police and firefighters to any hazardous materials stored on site.