City Council: 'Surprising Number' Of 311 Requests Not Addressed, Resolutions Murky
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – New York City residents know to contact 311 to report complaints and request information.
But 311 may actually be doing people a disservice, according to a new study by the City Council.
"Publicly available data on 311 requests indicate that complaint resolutions are not always reported accurately," the study reads. "For a surprising number of requests, issues are not addressed and resolutions stated by 311 are vague and inadequate."
Launched in 2003, the system fields more than 42 million contacts a year.
Web Extra: Click here to read the study.
Most 2018 requests were noise-related, at 16.9 percent, followed by heat and hot water at 8.6 percent and large bulky item collection at 7 percent, among others.
The study found nearly one quarter of complaints were labeled "did not observe," meaning the reported complaint was not observed by the responding agency. Another 21.5 percent were labeled "fixed" and 18.7 percent were labeled "no action taken."
The City Council noted some "peculiar response times." For example, 20 percent of complaints about rodents were reportedly addressed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on dates before they were even submitted.
The council also found "vague responses," saying nearly all complaints forwarded to the health department and the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission were labeled "closed," but their files imply they're still ongoing.
Officials with Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration insist that despite the data glitch, complaints are being resolved.