It’s a common complaint by users of Baltimore’s 311 non-emergency municipal services number:

You make multiple phone calls (or file several online reports) about a pipe break in the street. Or a dangerously leaning vacant house. Or garbage spilling out of a trash bin. Or a pyramid of old tires dumped in the alley.

Days later the “ticket” is marked closed – even though the water is still gushing, the vacant building is still sagging, and the trash and old tires are still there.

But those days are over, according to Mayor Brandon Scott, unveiling today a comprehensive modernization of the service request system.

Dubbed “311 Reimagined,” the revamped system “means that our citizens can get more accurate information and know for certain that reports marked ‘closed’ are actually done,” he said in a press release.

“This is what a 21st-century city government should look like,” he continued, pledging that improvements at 311 and CitiStat will “deliver top-notch city services to residents more efficiently.”

“CitiStat gives us a pulse on what’s working and what needs fixing, and 311 is the way we deliver necessary changes,” added Dartanion Williams, director of the Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation.

Baltimore’s 311 system has been the subject of years of resident complaints, hours of City Council hearings and disturbing data indicating that more affluent neighborhoods tend to get their “tickets” closed and problems resolved more quickly than less affluent parts of town.

The revamp addresses a festering political problem for Scott: following a two-year drop in homicides, he faces criticism over the poor delivery of basic city services.

The revamp addresses a festering political problem for Scott: criticism over the poor delivery of basic city services.

As a result of feedback from citizens and Council members, Scott says his office has made such improvements as:

• Fixing errors that previously closed requests too early or misrouted service crews.

• Providing more frequent updates so residents understand the status of their service requests.

• Compiling resolution notes to reduce confusion and unnecessary follow-ups.

• Conducting audits and training to ensure requests are resolved correctly the first time.

Other features promised later this year include a 311 resident data portal with neighborhood-level mapping and keyword search, before-and-after photos for select requests to show completed work, Spanish-language options on the 311 website and app, and community workshops to help residents use 311 more effectively.

“Fully Refreshed” CitiStat

CitiStat has been the subject of criticism following its early successes as a data-driven means to improve the performance of city agencies.

Started by Mayor Martin O’Malley and sustained by Mayor Sheila Dixon, the program has languished over the past 15 years, sidelined by a succession of management theories that caught City Hall’s fancy and managers who cycled through the system, often wrangling with the council.

Today, Scott announced that CitiStat has been “fully refreshed” with clearer goals, stronger follow-up and new leadership.

Promised improvements include:

• A stronger alignment with budget priorities, linking performance goals to city funding.

• More consistent sessions with expanded agency coverage and published schedules.

• New data-driven officers inside agencies to improve data access and readiness.

• More data published online for greater transparency.

• Cross-agency participation from IT, HR, Finance, Law and others to help accelerate problem-solving.

“These reforms will break down silos, help us hold ourselves accountable, and make measurable improvements to services residents count on,” Performance and Innovation Director Williams stated.