Minneapolis 311: Best run but most costly?

Article by: ERIC ROPER , Star Tribune Updated: July 30, 2012 

With fewer inquiries and rising labor rates, the expense climbs for Minneapolis' nonemergency line

MINNEAPOLIS, MN--Each report of potholes, overgrown lawns, busted stoplights and other issues to Minneapolis 311 cost city taxpayers $9.15 last year, a per-contact expense that surpasses most cities across the country.

When it launched 311 six years ago, the city joined a national trend of creating nonemergency avenues for citizens to interact with City Hall. The popular service handled 335,427 calls and e-mails in 2011, but fewer inquiries and high labor rates have driven up the cost to handle each contact.

That cost per contact -- a key measure of the service's efficiency -- has risen by $3.67 since 2007. It grew $1.28 between 2010 and 2011 alone because 65,000 fewer calls and e-mails poured in and the costs of running the center remained constant.

Read entire story at the Star Tribune website.