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311 director details app use, vacancies and proposed cuts; departments say service would be minimally affected
Summary
Springfield’s 311 office reported increased use of its mobile app and web portal, two current vacancies, and line‑item reductions tied to the mayor's 3% directive; staff said the cuts would mainly slow paperwork turnaround, not front‑line ticket handling.
Jason Garner, director of the city's 311 center, told the FY26 budget hearing that 311 is the city’s front line for constituent service and that usage of the web portal and mobile app has risen: "This year, over 2,000 tickets have been entered by Citizens via the web portal and mobile app. And additionally, we've processed over 3,000 emails that we've gotten." Garner said most calls are DPW‑related (solid waste, bulk appointments, road conditions), followed by taxes/fees and quality‑of‑life/code issues.
Garner and Gladys (office lead) explained the department has two vacancies—one senior call‑center representative and one customer service role—and are actively recruiting. They said residency and education requirements have limited candidate pools: the posted vacancy for the customer‑service position requires a bachelor's degree.
On the mayor's requested 3% reduction, Garner said the office identified cuts mainly in office supplies, advertising, printing and postage; he told the hearing these reductions would "probably look like a day or two turnaround instead of it being an immediate" response for mailed forms or printed materials but would not materially affect phone/ticket response times. He noted one significant non‑negotiable contract item: the Intelligo/IntelliGov ticketing software, which represents about $48,000 of a roughly $52,000 OTPS line item and is not easily reduced.
Councilors questioned whether senior positions could be moved to DPW, given call volume is heavily DPW‑related; 311 said discussions with finance and DPW are underway to consider transferring a role if that better aligns with operational needs. Garner offered one wishlist item—a touchscreen training monitor to improve internal training and interdepartmental demonstrations. The department requested the mayor and council consider skill‑based hiring where appropriate to widen candidate pools for customer‑service roles.
