Using Technology to Improve Your Quality of Life

By Mayor Brian Arrigo

Note: Last Monday, Mayor Brian Arrigo laid out a number of key focus areas for 2017 in his State of the City Address. Over the next two months, he will give more detail about significant accomplishments for the City of Revere in 2016 and key initiatives for the year ahead. This week focuses on online services.

Revere deserves a city government that implements 21st-century tools to make city government more effective, transparent, and responsive. Residents deserve a government that listens and responds quickly to you. And residents deserve a government that prioritizes its delivery of services based on need — no matter who you are or what neighborhood you live in.

Since taking office, my administration has focused on making more online services available for residents to accomplish all of these important goals.

After years of delays and discussions, online bill payment was up and running in our first six months, and online parking permits were available in our first year. No longer do you have to wait in long lines at City Hall.

We improved city responsiveness to online constituent requests, whether delivered by social media or our constituent online webform. We are cutting the response time and improving the workflow for service requests submitted via SeeClickFix.

Last year we built an online database so the Inspectional Services Department can track and manage inspections and reports. Now, if you report a neighborhood concern, an inspection is completed within one to two business days. With the help of this database, we’ve been able to complete and track over 5,000 inspections since July, helping us bring dozens of blighted properties into code compliance.

In 2017, additional online city services will be made available.

We will begin implementing an electronic permitting system in the next few months. From the comfort of your home or office, you’ll be able to apply online for a building inspection, a permit, or a bulk item trash pickup. This software will make life easier for residents and small businesses alike. We will expand the functionality to accept online payments for the Building and Health Departments.

This year we will launch a 311 customer service hotline, enabling you to call, text, tweet, email or Facebook message City staff to resolve issues you see in our neighborhoods – from a pothole, to a missed trash pickup, to an overflowing catch basin. One interaction with City Hall will lead to a thorough, professional, and courteous response to your issue – no longer will you be bounced around from department to department to get an answer to your question.

This year, we will be utilizing cutting edge technology to map, analyze, and prioritize the wear and tear on our city streets. This will allow us to create a fair, transparent and comprehensive plan for street repair going forward.

Interacting with City Hall should be as simple and painless as possible, and every resident should feel confident that they will get a complete and professional response. With your help, we will make your city government more responsive than ever.

Brian Arrigo is the Mayor of Revere.

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