City now taking 'hotline' complaints online

(WOWT)
Published: Jan. 16, 2019 at 3:29 PM CST
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Omaha has a new complaint department of sorts that’s right at your fingertips.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert unveiled

on Wednesday.

The site gives people a new way to report problems in their neighborhood with an online system Stothert said will expand services already offered by the mayor’s hotline.

Last year, that hotline channeled more than 38,000 service requests to city departments — neighborhood complaints about things like litter, dilapidated homes, and the perennial angst-igniter: potholes.

But all of those complaints were taken over the phone. Now, the city is bringing the web into the fight.

Mayor Stothert said, “We just want as many resources available, easy-to-use, easy-to-navigate, that we possibly can have. And the important thing for this one is to provide updates and feedback to those who have filed the complaint.”

Felicia Russell, who operates a beauty and barber salon in the Benson area, said she hopes the new system works because she hasn’t had much success with the others.

“My building actually had graffiti on it like maybe three times already,” she said. “I’ve called and reached out, and I never got any feedback. And they said they would get back to me. That never happened.”

The mayor said the website will be more efficient and more customer friendly.

“It does provide ongoing feedback to those who, and updates to those who have made the reports to us.”

The Mayor’s Hotline staff also takes reports via

as well as those called in to 402-444-5555 or emailed to

.

Felicia says she’ll wait and see if the new website helps.

“It will only help if it’s effective. If it’s not effective, what’s the use in having two lines?”

The site cost $35,000 to develop — paid from the city’s general fund.

You can also use it to report concerns to Douglas County.