Camanche council tables decision on mobile 311 software pending hands-on tests

Camanche — The City Council delayed deciding on a mobile 311 and work-order system after a demonstration of GWorks’ module and renewed discussion of a prior Cclick Fix proposal. Council members and staff said they want hands-on testing of both systems to confirm ease of use in the field and for residents before committing funds.

Council members questioned whether the tools would be practical for field crews, whether other departments (police, fire) would use the software, and how much staff time would be required to populate and maintain work orders. Staff noted problems with an earlier tablet deployment—poor cellular coverage and a clunky user interface—that made in-field entry impractical and that many crews preferred desktop entry.

The GWorks presenter showed features including website integration, multi-step work orders, labor and material tracking, equipment inventory and preventive-maintenance scheduling. Council members raised the potential benefits of richer data—job costing and depreciation tracking—but stressed those features are useful only if the city has a clear plan for using the data.

Given competing pricing models (staff said Cclick Fix had higher upfront costs but lower annual fees), the council directed staff to arrange trial accounts or in-person hands-on sessions so council and department staff can test both products as both citizen users and employees. The council also asked staff to report back with user feedback and cost comparisons at the next meeting before authorizing procurement.

The city did not vote on a contract and will continue evaluating the two proposals.