The City of Moose Jaw created an app last year to make it easier for residents to report problems around the community, and now, that app is receiving some provincial praise.
The Municipalities of Saskatchewan (MOS) has announced that the City of Moose Jaw has won first place in the former’s annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards for innovation and science.
The award is for the city’s request for service (RFS) app, which launched last February. It gives residents the ability to report issues and send pictures of the problem directly to the proper municipal department. Residents are notified when the request has been received and resolved. The app also allows the city to send push notifications about programs and services.
MOS will present the award to city officials on Feb. 9 during its annual conference — held virtually this year — from Feb. 7 to 10.
City officials thought that the MOS would announce this award during the annual conference in early February, so it came as a surprise when the news came out on Feb. 1, Mayor Fraser Tolmie said during a media scrum after the recent council meeting.
“Obviously, we’re very happy,” he continued. Plenty of hard work went into this project — especially through the communications department and manager Craig Hemingway — to bring the app to fruition. City hall’s information technology department also deserves credit for the initiative.
This app was part of an overall project to upgrade the website, rebrand the community, make Moose Jaw better known and ensure it’s known for the right things, Tolmie said. City hall continues to encourage residents and users to get online with the app.
Residents asked for a more efficient way to communicate with city hall, so in 2018, city council decided to proceed with the RFS app project, he added later in a news release. Council is pleased with the results and appreciates city administration’s work to provide a user-friendly, award-winning project.
Not only does this app allow for the city to provide good customer service, but it also helps city hall since complaints are now sent directly to the correct department for completion, city manager Jim Puffalt said during another news scrum.
“It certainly is more expedient for customers, but also for staff,” he added. “It allows us to be a little bit quicker and faster at getting the job done.”
