SAN MARCOS — If you see something around the city of San Marcos that needs to be fixed, you can always send in a picture using their new “app.” Earlier this month, the city of San Marcos announced at the “State of Your Community” a new app designed to empower residents and visitors to support the city in its effort to keep it clean.
“The goal of the app is to connect residents with city staff and make the process of reporting non-emergency concerns more efficient,” says Robin Rockey, city communications manager.
Once a work order is submitted by a resident it will most likely be directly sent to a department like the Department of Public Works or Development Services and the user will receive a tracking number eventually letting the person know when it’s been resolved in a timely fashion.
One advantage of the app is that it’s more communicative than calling the city’s general directory like folks have done in the past. “I would say this is faster and more direct and you can also upload photos, which is really nice. A picture is worth a thousand words. It really helps us get on the same page with people and helps us pinpoint what we are looking for when we go out,” Rockey said.
City Sourced, a private software development company, designed the app in conjunction with the city of San Marcos IT department. So far 50 issues have been submitted including reports of dead animals, trees that needed to be trimmed and water irrigation complaints.
One of the app’s features is its ability to “connect” with other neighbors and avoid duplicate requests. It allows a user to see who else in the surrounding area has submitted a request thanks to the GPS system.
A resource guide highlighting everything the app offers is available on the city’s website at www.san-marcos.net or download it by searching for “San Marcos City” on the app store.
