The battle of the 311 phone apps – may the best app win

Two weeks ago, the Nutter administration pledged to launch a mobile 3-1-1 application by summer. The app would let citizens report nuisances directly from their smartphones, and process their service requests directly into 3-1-1’s system.

Then last week, freshman Councilman Bobby Henon announced the release of a mobile City Hall application that would let citizens do . . . the same basic thing. Except this version will process requests through a server in Henon’s office and route them to the local district Council member.This is the mobile version of an old divide about who should help citizens with constituent services — Council or 3-1-1. On this week’s It’s Our Money podcast, Doron Taussig and Holly Otterbein discuss who should handle these responsibilities, and whether it’s a problem that there will be two city-issued service apps doing the same basic thing.

 

Do you have a rant, rave or question about your experience with the current 3-1-1 call system?  Let us know at the It’s Our Money “City Howl” desk, (215) 854 5855 or email howl@phillynews.com.

Check out the It’s Our Money podcast, and find more at www.ourmoneyphilly.com.

It’s Our Money is a joint project of the Daily News and WHYY, funded by the William Penn Foundation. We shed light on where your tax dollars are going.