At the Jan. 10 El Cajon City Council meeting, staff presented a report on the success of the City of El Cajon app, a service request management platform for mobile devices and computers. Launched in 2020, the app is available for both Android and Apple devices and can be used to access online services, view the business directory, receive updates, and report issues and concerns.
The app received a total of 11,498 requests in 2022 which were handled by different city departments with the Public Works Department processing more than half of the requests. This was 1,000 requests more than in 2021. Most issues received by Public Works were for sanitation and debris. A total of 5,189 service requests entered by City residents were for debris pick up within the public right-of-way with an average resolution time of one day.
Council member Phil Ortiz said this app is one of the “big wins” for the city.
“I think we could really tell a story to our citizens, not only with how great our public works and police department is doing an excellent job to show data, but also spread the word to more citizens to keep using the app.”
Council member Steve Goble said the app is an “incredible tool” for the people of El Cajon.
“I used this quite a bit last year,” he said. “It really is just one day that the contractor that the city has chosen, Urban Corps, is fantastic. We just do not see the mattresses and recliners sitting out by the curb like we did six years ago. It is gone. And graffiti is gone in one to three days in my experience. Which tells you do not put graffiti up because it is not going to be worth your time. It is going to be gone. Vegetation overgrowth is a great thing for fire prevention. The teamwork between the departments is a win for the people of El Cajon.”
The app classifies requests and issues into the following categories: Animal Control, Code Violations, Fire Hazard Concern, General Police Related Issues, Graffiti, Illegal Lodging, Parking Concerns, Sanitation/Debris, Street Light Repair, Street Signs, Street Sweeping, Streets, Traffic Enforcement, Traffic Signal Repair, Vegetation Overgrowth on City Property, Vegetation Overgrowth on Private Property, Water Issues, and Other.
To download the City of El Cajon App, visit the Apple App Store or Apps on Google Play.
