City council member proposes county-wide 311 system

In an effort to increase the efficiency of local city and county government, Bloomington City Councilman Steve Volan has organized an interlocal study group to discern the feasibility and effectiveness of a possible 311 system for Bloomington and the  surrounding communities.  

A 311 system is a non-emergency telephone number residents of the area can call in order to access several city and county departments without having to know the exact department telephone number.     

“Instead of needing to know the specific number for a department, like the IU Switchboard, you can call just one number and they’ll forward you,” Volan said. “More importantly, many people don’t know which department they’re supposed to call. 311 solves that too, saving many departments hours of redirecting inquiries.”

Volan said his district, which encompasses the south, west and northwest neighborhoods immediately adjacent to IU’s campus, is home to many complaints concerning parking, noise and trash.

Because of the large number of violations, residents must frequently call city services like police and housing authorities to enforce city laws, Volan said.   

“Because so many violations occur in District 6, the residents have to call so often to complain that they’re afraid they’re becoming pests,” Volan said.

A 311 system would allow citizens to call a more “neutral” office, he said. This can help the city better allocate resources to specific neighborhoods while at the same time removing citizens’ fears of pestering city departments with complaints.  

Volan said he hopes the study group will show the time saved rerouting misdirected calls will help the city function more efficiently while also simplifying data gathered from citizens in need of municipal services. The savings produced from these efficiencies can help make any 311 program neutral in cost, he said.    

Volan cited other cities, such as Fort Wayne and Lynwood, Calif., that have also embraced a 311 system.

“Since I’m proposing a city-county joint system, our county population of 137,000 puts us in between Fort Wayne and Lynwood,” he said.