Council presses public works to replace ‘sneaker net’ work-order process and give staff better Munis access

Multiple council members told public works on Monday that the current work-order intake and tracking process is failing constituents and staff.

"We haven't closed that loop or fixed that just yet," Jay Watson said when asked whether the public-facing submission form automatically enters requests into the department’s system. Councilman Corbin called the current method a "sneaker net" — a manual process that requires retyping data — and said the loop has been an issue for "literally over 9 months." He urged staff and IT to remove manual steps.

Council members suggested concrete fixes: an email receipt with a tracking number when a constituent files a request; read-only access to Munis or another centralized system for council staff; and assigning a staff liaison to each council member so their offices can check work-order status without intermediaries. "If we had some way that there was an email went out that you've been heard ... and then now it's in the system," Councilman Corbin said, "that would be very, very positive."

Jay Watson said the department is working with IT to set up meetings and trainings so council staff can review work orders and better answer constituent questions. He acknowledged the change requires coordination across departments and said there may be low-cost improvements available: "there's probably a middle ground that's not gonna cost us a lot of money that we can probably make some improvements that would help make a noticeable difference to the public."

Council members emphasized the customer-service dimension of public works operations and pushed for automation that would reduce duplication and provide consistent tracking for constituents and staff.

The chair acknowledged the discussion and asked staff to pursue technical fixes and training with IT.