Waterford Council approves GoGov citizen-request app, adopts policy; $9,600 annual subscription

The Waterford City Council voted 5-0 to approve an annual $9,600 subscription for GoGov, a citizen request management application, and adopted a companion policy intended to guide how staff receive and route resident complaints.

City staff said the app will give residents a 24/7 service portal to report issues, track the status of requests and see how the city is responding. Miss Krausch, a city staff member, described the system as a “service portal that will allow citizens 24 7 access to services and information and will enable them to track the status of their requests or complaints in real time.”

The move came after council members and staff discussed practical details of using the app. Staff said the GoGov platform does not currently offer an in-app Spanish interface but can link to a website version that residents can translate with Google Translate; staff also said phone- and counter-submitted complaints will be entered into the same system so requests are routed to the correct departments.

Miss Krausch told the council the city will work with the sheriff—s office to add categories such as parking where appropriate and will return to council with any policy amendments that arise from that work. She said the city will determine monitoring procedures and assignment protocols for overnight submissions; "Most likely, first thing in the morning, we're gonna be looking at what's came in overnight," she said, noting staff will refine how urgent items are flagged and routed.

Council members expressed support for the tool as a way to reduce lost information from phone calls and to create a trackable record of requests. The council approved the contract and adopted the accompanying resolution by unanimous roll call.

What happens next: staff will negotiate and finalize implementation details with GoGov, add categorical routing (for example, sheriff-related parking issues), and propose any needed amendments to the adopted policy. The city also plans to publicize the new service once technical and workflow details are complete.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt the agenda: passes 5-0 (Mayor Gokin; Vice Mayor Hilton; Councilmember Gutierrez; Councilmember Harris; Councilmember Calvert) - Motion to adopt the consent calendar: passes 5-0 (same) - Motion to adopt regional appointments list (as amended): passes 5-0 (same) - Motion approving agreement with GoGov (annual subscription $9,600): passes 5-0 (same) - Motion adopting Resolution 2025-02 (GoGov citizen request management application policy): passes 5-0 (same)

Funding and language access

The agreement is an annual subscription; tonight—s motion authorized the city manager to execute the contract. Staff said the app itself does not include an in-app Spanish interface at this time but can route users to a web version that residents can translate with Google Translate; staff also noted that bilingual staff will handle Spanish-language submissions where translation is needed.

Implementation and monitoring

City staff said they will add complaints coming in by phone or at the counter into the same tracking system, and they will determine how overnight or weekend submissions are monitored and assigned. Staff emphasized that emergency requests will be handled through standard emergency instructions rather than the app.

Authority and policy referenced

The council also adopted a resolution establishing the application policy that will guide routing, confidentiality options and staff response timelines. Staff said they will return with any amendments needed after working with public safety and other departments.

(Exact quotes in this article are from Miss Krausch and other council remarks recorded in the meeting transcript.)