Kansas City, Missouri residents now have another way to let the city know a street light is out or there is a pothole that needs to be filled—Twitter.
Just like when they call 311, residents will be given a case number when they tweet @KCMO311, so they can track the progress of the request.
The city’s social media analyst Mark Van Baale says Twitter is becoming a more important way for cities to communicate with residents.
“There’s been other cities across the country that have done 311 type accounts like New York City and Chicago,” says Van Baale. “ We’re modeled after some of those accounts.”
Van Baale says one nice thing about Twitter over a phone call is that is easy to include a picture.
“That helps us determine where the issue is so we can go there to resolve it,” says Van Baale.
Residents still can go the more traditional routes of calling 311, using the website, or even mailing a letter.
According to a recent study, Kansas City government ranked sixth out of 75 cities in social media savvy. Those who are not on Twitter can still go online or call 311 to report issues.