311 Coming To Nassau? County Legislators Bring Non-Emergency Number To The Floor

FRANKLIN SQUARE, NY. — Nassau County residents could get a new number to call with non-emergency requests thanks to a new piece of legislation filed Monday by County Legislator Olena Nicks, which would establish a 311 line for the county.

Announced Monday, Nicks said the plan to create a 311 line is an effort to boost a poor retention rate among 911 operators in the county and bring the operators’ total headcount — currently 20 percent shy of where it needs to be — back to full coverage. To do that, Nicks said, the 311 line would create a dedicated non-emergency line for county residents to call if there’s a pothole on their street, a flickering street light or a missed trash pickup. Those calls, the county legislators said, are important. But they're not the same kind of call as a violent crime, a fire or a medical emergency might be.

“While these calls deserve attention, they shouldn’t be competing with someone who’s reporting a fire, a violent crime or a medical emergency, where only seconds count,” Nicks said. “Here in Nassau, our operators are handling everything from noise complaints to service requests. These non-emergency calls pull resources away from urgent need. That’s why we’re proposing a county-wide 311 system. A 311 system that will give residents a simple, easy to remember number for non emergency service.”

While Nicks — a 15-year veteran of the Uniondale Fire Department — highlighted the resources currently pulled away from emergency calls, other legislators present said it would make it easier for Nassau County residents to access government aid for the problems they face.

“Residents should not need a directory of 50 different departments to report a pothole or a missed trash pickup. 311 provides a simple, easy to remember point of entry for all government services,” first-term legislator Cynthia Nuñez said.

Nunez said that it would be a multilingual system, and that it would allow the government to see “heat maps,” looking at where requests come from and allocating taxpayer dollars to areas more often the subject of maintenance requests.

According to the legislators, the system would include a phone number, web address and mobile app if passed through the legislature. Nicks said she hopes to employ 311 operators in the same communications building that 911 operators currently call home.

For veteran legislator Scott Davis, the appeal of a 311 line comes down to service.

“This is really an opportunity to provide 21st century service through the government, and the residents of Nassau county deserve services that are both accessible, convenient and efficient…This is certainly an opportunity to do that,” Davis said. “It provides for transparency, efficiency and access to all of the 1.4 million residents of Nassau County. This is really a very simple fix, and it’s one we should take advantage of.”