When residents notice a problem with city services or note something that needs to be called to the city's attention, they usually pick up the phone or send an email. The easiest number to remember is (972) 205-2000, the city's receptionist that pleasantly forwards the call to the proper department. That works amazingly well. For those that wish to directly contact a department, I have a list of numbers on my website (link is usually at the bottom of each blog post, too), as does the city's website. There are even refrigerator magnets with department numbers available through the City Secretary's office and other departments (or print the one at the link ).

DMN's map-based Problem Tracker Source: DMN

 
A new service from the Dallas Morning News looks interesting. At their Garland Community webpage, visitors can link on the Problem Tracker to literally mark where problems exist and the newspaper will send an email to the city. One unique aspect is that others can "jump on board" to agree that a problem exists.
 
According to reporter Karel Holloway at the DMN Garland Blog, "The Morning News just started a new online feature called Problem Tracker. It's a map-based system that let's you report non-emergency problems. You can detail the issue and even upload a photo. Just click on the map where the problem is and type in a description. The city will automatically get an e-mail about the problem and other Garland residents will be able to see the city's hotspots."
 
It's a cool idea but I think it misses half the equation and might lead to a lot of exasperated users. One person might want something, like a new street light at a particular intersection. Maybe his family and twenty others will agree and "vote up" the idea. It might be a horrible idea from a traffic planning perspective yet it would be there being tracked. There could be three thousand other residents that would be negatively impacted by something that would benefit very few but we won't hear from them.

Garland Citizen's Request Center

 
Still, it's a great chance to catch ideas that might otherwise go unnoticed but it is a tool that has to be weighed by other factors. I'm not sure how that will be accomplished.
 
This is a great time to remind everyone that the city does like to collect these suggestions and offers a number of ways to do so. In addition to those ways mentioned above, a particularly good method is use of the city's Citizen's Request Center, a link is available on the front page of the city's website. It offers answers to many questions, accepts requests and questions, and allows users to track their submittals. This route will get you a direct response.
 
No matter how you choose to communicate to the city, know that your inquiry or suggestion is always welcome. It's your city.