Manteca Web site makes city services more accessible

By Rhashad Pittman
Record Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, April 6, 2005

MANTECA -- Whether it's that pothole in the street or that burned-out light bulb on the corner, citizens in Manteca will be able to ask for service from the city easier and faster.

And they may get a reply sooner than expected.

The Manteca City Council on Monday approved a Web-based program that will allow residents to make requests, file complaints or ask questions online through the city's Web site. The City Outreach program will make it easier for city staffers to track citizens' requests and respond to them faster, officials said.

"It makes us more accessible," Assistant City Manager Karen McLaughlin said.

In the past few months, Tracy and San Ramon have started using the service, which was created by the software company Government Outreach. Once the Pleasanton-based company installs the service over the next couple of months, residents will be able to go to Manteca's Web site at www.ci.manteca.ca.us, click on an icon and type in a question, suggestion or complaint. Once it's entered, the request automatically will be forwarded to the appropriate department.

"Sometimes, the public doesn't know which department to go to," McLaughlin said. "It's really a great benefit to the public."

The program includes a feature that allows city officials to keep track of how fast requests are being handled. Citizens without Internet access can call city staffers, who will file the request online for the residents, officials said.

The program will cost the city $1,000 a month to operate and a one-time setup fee of $5,000. City officials will use funding from various departments to pay for the service, including money set aside for information technology equipment, officials said.

San Ramon staffers said their city's outreach program has run smoothly since it was installed in January. City employees use the system to make internal requests, including for computer and printer repairs, said Rosemary Co, San Ramon's Web manager. Residents and city employees have made 685 requests since it was installed, with nearly half coming from staffers, she said.

"It's a nice, interactive system for handling problems or complaints," said Stephen Keagy, San Ramon's information technology manager. "It kind of keeps everybody on the top of their game."

To reach reporter Rhashad Pittman, phone (209) 239-3324 or e-mail rpittman@recordnet.com