Minneapolis 311: Best run but most costly?
Article by: ERIC ROPER , Star Tribune Updated: July 30, 2012
With fewer inquiries and rising labor rates, the expense climbs for Minneapolis’ nonemergency line
MINNEAPOLIS, MN–Each report of potholes, overgrown lawns, busted stoplights and other issues to Minneapolis 311 cost city taxpayers $9.15 last year, a per-contact expense that surpasses most cities across the country.
When it launched 311 six years ago, the city joined a national trend of creating nonemergency avenues for citizens to interact with City Hall. The popular service handled 335,427 calls and e-mails in 2011, but fewer inquiries and high labor rates have driven up the cost to handle each contact.
That cost per contact — a key measure of the service’s efficiency — has risen by $3.67 since 2007. It grew $1.28 between 2010 and 2011 alone because 65,000 fewer calls and e-mails poured in and the costs of running the center remained constant.
Read entire story at the Star Tribune website.
