Nearly 20,000 times in 2026, Newton residents have used the city's 311 system to flag a pothole, report a missed trash pickup, or call attention to a broken streetlight. The mobile app that makes those reports possible has been live since May 2024, and city officials say it's changing how neighbors connect with City Hall.
As of Monday, July 13, the system had received 19,755 service requests year-to-date, according to 311 Customer Service Manager Garrett Ross. About 70 percent involved missed trash collection, yard waste, or special collections such as bulky item pickups. The rest ranged from road hazards to streetlight outages.
The app, available on Apple and Android devices, lets users snap a photo and tag a GPS location so city crews know exactly where a problem is. Residents can also file requests through the city's website, by phone, email, or in person at City Hall.
Ross told Fig City News that the city switched vendors in May 2024 and used the transition to find a better fit. The platform, now powered by GovOutreach, automatically routes each request to the correct department by topic.
Satisfaction mixed but mostly positive
Customer satisfaction data through Monday, July 13 shows 41 percent of respondents said the city's response exceeded expectations, 30 percent said it met expectations, and 26 percent said it fell below. Three percent gave no response.
The average turnaround on a request is about two weeks, Ross said, excluding outlier cases tied to pandemic-era backlogs the city is still clearing.
"We are working through some issues that are a couple of years old," Ross said.
Residents notice
Annette Nedeljkovic, a Newton resident who has used the system to report icy sidewalks in winter and hazardous debris left on sidewalks after car accidents, said the system addressed her concerns within a reasonable amount of time.
"You feel like somebody is listening to your concerns," Nedeljkovic said.
Mayor Marc Laredo described the 311 system, customer service staff, and Citizen Assistance Officer as the "front doors" to City Hall. He said the city is continuing to modernize the platform to make it easier to use, more transparent, and faster at delivering updates to residents. No specific timeline for those improvements has been announced.
How to use Newton 311
Residents can download the Newton 311 app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, or visit the Newton 311 online portal. Reports can also be made by phone, email, or in person at City Hall.
No upcoming public meetings or 311-related events have been announced by the city.
