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Citizen Mobile Access <br />Page 2 of 3 <br /> <br /> <br />Public facing apps are typically utilized by residents to report concerns to local government in <br />the following scenario: a resident of the City observes a downed tree in a city park, graffiti, <br />pothole ridden areas of a street or a property with long unmaintained grass they simply open <br />an application on their smartphone and report it with a few clicks of their finger tips. This may <br />sound a bit alarming at first, however, the majority of government agencies that have utilized <br />public facing apps have reported that the quality of information received has improved. This is <br />because most smart phone applications tap into the existing GPS information already available <br />in smartphones making the exact location of the street repair issue a breeze to identify. Since <br />most smart phones include a camera a resident could take a photo of a graffiti concern and the <br />City would have an exact location and visible evidence of the graffiti. This streamlining of <br />service requests expedites the information exchange, engages residents in solving problems, <br />and leads to expedited resolution. <br /> <br />Public facing apps also provide an interactive communication between the City and its <br />residents by allowing residents to use their smart phone (android or iPhone) to help make the <br />City a better place by quickly and easily communicating concerns directly with City officials. <br />When observing a concern no longer does a resident need to go home and write a strongly <br />worded email (or letter) or make a phone call to City Hall. Forward facing apps engage <br />residents in the delivery of services and allow them to stay informed throughout the entire <br />process from start to finish. This provides an additional level of transparency to the entire <br />delivery of City services that keeps residents engaged and provides an interactive <br />communication method where residents can check on the status of their request. <br /> <br />Staff has attached a one page informational flyer from Comcate that describes their citizen <br />mobile access application. The Citizen Mobile Access (CMA) application is an easy to use <br />citizen software application that would let the City build an interactive relationship with <br />residents around issues and services of interest and importance to the community. The CMA <br />application would integrate into the City’s existing Code Enforcement Manager (CEM) <br />application and allow information to automatically be routed via the mobile application <br />directly into the City’s CEM application. <br /> <br />The Comcate Citizen Mobile app could be easily downloaded from the internet outlets such as <br />the Apple App store, the Android marketplace, and directly from the City’s website. Once <br />downloaded onto a smartphone the CMA app would allow residents of Mounds View to use <br />their smartphones to point, click, and submit feedback directly to the City with photos and exact <br />locations using GPS coordinates that automatically map the request and automatically create a <br />request for services case. Although the most likely uses for the CMA would likely be to report <br />exterior property concerns the City could incorporate a muti-phase implementation where <br />eventually street repair requests, park/playground maintenance requests and even police traffic <br />enforcement requests could be generated by residents through the CMA. With some <br />customization the application could also be used by Mounds View residents to check on the <br />status of their requests in “real time” view. <br /> <br />Recommendations: <br />Staff requests that the City Council review the Comcate Citizen Mobile Access proposal. If <br />the City Council has consensus to proceed then staff would bring forward a resolution at the <br />next regular City Council meeting authorizing accepting the Comcate Citizen Mobile access