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Sterling Heights rolls out Priority 2 web portal to speed trash-service complaints
Summary
City officials promoted a new Priority 2 web portal and SeeClickFix integration to streamline reporting of missed pickups and other trash issues, automate resident notifications and reduce call-center delays. Staff said the portal will let residents submit location-specific service requests and receive direct status updates by text or email.
Assistant City Manager Dale Jojakowski told council the city and Priority Waste introduced a new web portal, "Priority 2," to make it faster and simpler for residents to file trash-collection complaints and receive follow-up. He said the portal includes a residential service request form that asks users to select the problem type (missed pickup, damage, bulk items, recycling, compost) and provide contact details so Priority can confirm timing for resolution.
"It's as simple as clicking — you go to Priority's website, and once you get to Priority's website, you click on Sterling Heights, and Sterling Heights pops up," Jojakowski said. He described SeeClickFix as a routing mechanism that now links directly to the Priority portal, giving staff the resident's name, address and phone number when a report is filed.
City Manager Mark Vanderpool framed the portal as a customer-service improvement. Staff provided usage context: Sterling Heights serves about 135,000 residents, with an estimated 8,000 households visited each weekday and multiple vehicle stops per address. For August and September staff reported roughly 1.56 million potential collection stops and said the city logged 334 service complaints during that period; city staff told council about two-thirds of those issues were caused by resident errors such as loose bags, excess bulk or missed set-outs.
Jojakowski and Vanderpool said the portal permits two-way communication — staff can send a text explaining the cause of a missed pickup (for example, improper placement or excess bulk) and provide steps to prevent repeat problems. They recommended residents use the portal or the SeeClickFix link rather than calling the DPW phone line for faster service and better documentation.
