Baton Rouge residents and council press for 311 fixes as city moves to integrate work orders and pilot AI

Residents and several council members pressed City-Parish staff on Feb. 25 about long-standing problems with the government’s 311 service, saying tickets are often closed without visible resolution and asking what the administration will do to ensure follow-up.

Shawanda Duplantier, who identified herself during the meeting as someone who has filed scores of service requests, told council: “I’ve submitted over 30 311 requests since 2024 and many of the tickets are closed. They’re opened and then they’re closed and the problem is never resolved.” Her comments set off an extended public-and-council exchange about how reports enter the system, how departments record outcomes and what constituents can expect to see in the app and by email.

The administration acknowledged gaps and described steps already under way. A city representative said the 311 entry point (the app, web and call center) routes requests to departmental workflows; duplicates or reports that fall on private property often result in closures with short notes that leave the reporting resident unsure about next steps. The staff member explained that the city is linking QueueAlert (the public-facing queue) to a new work-order system (MyProjectNow) so that when field crews complete work the completion status and work-order-level notes will flow back to the 311 record.

Council members and staff gave specifics: the annual contract amendment for the software has been on multiple budgets and the item before the council reflected a routine annual fee; a council member noted the amendment covered what the city has paid for years and that the amount historically has been about $70,000 annually. City staff said this action does not buy new functionality but ensures continued service and allows the administration to place the vendor name correctly in the budget.

Council members repeatedly emphasized the importance of adding useful closing notes. “The public needs to understand what happened to their complaint,” a council member said, calling for clear, consistent notes that explain whether an issue is a duplicate, on private property, or has been resolved by a department. Staff responded that some callers decline to provide contact information, which limits follow-up, and that the city is working to standardize required fields and to add automated messaging when appropriate.

Officials also described a technology pilot that could change how residents interact with 311. City staff said they are exploring an AI-driven intake for the call center so callers can speak naturally and have key details captured automatically, and they are testing automated notifications that would alert complainants when work orders are created, updated or closed. The administration described these as phased efforts tied to improving departmental notes, adding work-order integration and protecting data quality.

Council members asked for follow-up reporting: they requested updates on whether AI can help make checkbook and procurement data more user-friendly and asked for a summary of the 311 workflow changes and metrics (e.g., how often tickets are closed as duplicates, how many reopen, and average time-to-complete work orders).

City staff asked residents with outstanding issues to contact their district offices and noted that tickets can be reopened if a follow-up call is made and the issue remains unresolved. The council approved the related software item as an annual contract amendment and directed administration staff to continue refining the 311 workflow and public notifications.

What happens next: staff said they will continue linking QueueAlert to the work-order system, improve closing notes, explore AI for intake and notifications, and report back to council on implementation and measurable improvements.