City Audit: 311 Service is Failing Residents

The city's 311 service isn't doing its job, according to a report from the City Comptroller's office.

The service, for example, was set up to monitor all calls it received and classify them into various categories. But the report from City Comptroller Alan Butkovitz said 93 percent of calls go unmonitored.

It also said 311 has failed to significantly reduced the number of 911 calls made. That's in contrast to what's happened in other cities, such as Baltimore, where the number of 911 calls was cut in half after 311 was implemented.

Other goals set after the 311 service was put into place also haven't been met, according to the report. Operators, for example, haven't been available 24/7.

Philadelphia residents were told to call 311 to report information during and during other recent difficult weather events. In Mt. Airy, after Irene; it took days for others to be removed.

You can read the full report here (it's in PDF form).