{"id":2814792,"date":"2025-07-09T07:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2814792"},"modified":"2025-06-13T08:40:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T15:40:55","slug":"citizen-problem-reporter-a-game-changer-for-montgomery-township-pa","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-solutions\/local-government\/citizen-problem-reporter-a-game-changer-for-montgomery-township-pa","title":{"rendered":"Citizen Problem Reporter: A game changer for Montgomery Township, PA"},"author":318082,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[615021,22841,22871],"tags":[774092,468212,27411,34231,23081],"industry":[],"product":[42661],"class_list":["post-2814792","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aec","category-local-government","category-state-government","tag-facilities","tag-infrastructure","tag-planning","tag-public-works","tag-utilities","product-arcgis-solutions"],"acf":{"short_description":"Montgomery Township, PA, saves valuable time with the Citizen Problem Reporter solution.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

ArcGIS Solutions helps you make the most of your GIS by providing purpose-driven, industry-specific configurations of ArcGIS.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Road debris, potholes, clogged gutters, and other minor infrastructure problems may not be urgent, but they do cause residents disruption or delay. Most local governments have some kind of reporting system in place for nonemergency issues, but these systems vary widely in efficiency and effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Enter the Citizen Problem Reporter solution by ArcGIS Solutions. Citizen Problem Reporter includes a series of preconfigured apps that help local governments streamline how nonemergency requests are submitted and managed.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Addressing challenges<\/h2>\n

Montgomery Township is one of 62 municipalities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It serves a population of around 25,000 residents and, like most communities, receives its fair share of citizen concerns.<\/p>\n

For years, residents submitted nonemergency service requests through Action Center, a problem-reporting tool built into the township\u2019s website. Requests were then emailed to the Department of Public Works, but staff had to complete several subsequent steps before they could open a work order or respond to the resident.<\/p>\n

Further complicating matters was that the tool did not require residents to specify the exact location of the issues they were reporting. \u201c[It allowed] generic locations like \u2018Welsh Road\u2019 to be entered, leaving our crews searching the whole length of road for the issue,\u201d says GIS analyst Jennifer Ames. Additionally, reports intended for other municipalities were frequently received because residents would confuse Montgomery Township with Montgomery County. Triaging requests and sorting out which issues fell within township boundaries and the public works jurisdiction led to inefficiencies and wasted efforts. Something had to be done.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2814882,"id":2814882,"title":"MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop","filename":"MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop.png","filesize":1074132,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-solutions\/local-government\/citizen-problem-reporter-a-game-changer-for-montgomery-township-pa\/montgomerytownship_reportselecteddesktop","alt":"Citizen Problem Reporter app shown on a desktop with a report selected.","author":"318082","description":"","caption":"Citizen Problem Reporter is easily accessible to residents through the Montgomery Township website.","name":"montgomerytownship_reportselecteddesktop","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2814792,"date":"2025-05-29 20:26:54","modified":"2025-05-29 20:27:43","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2586,"height":1860,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop.png","medium-width":363,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":552,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop.png","large-width":1502,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop-1536x1105.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1105,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop-2048x1473.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1473,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop-647x465.png","card_image-width":647,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_ReportSelectedDesktop-1502x1080.png","wide_image-width":1502,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Location, location, location<\/h2>\n

Ames was familiar with ArcGIS Solutions and had used Citizen Problem Reporter prior to working for Montgomery Township. She was confident that adopting the solution would decrease the time staff wasted responding to irrelevant requests while improving their response time for valid ones. In fact, the ability to block someone from submitting an issue outside a set boundary was a key factor in the solution\u2019s adoption. The township rolled out Citizen Problem Reporter at the beginning of December 2024 and immediately noticed an improvement.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2814902,"id":2814902,"title":"SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop","filename":"SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop.png","filesize":2656181,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-solutions\/local-government\/citizen-problem-reporter-a-game-changer-for-montgomery-township-pa\/submittingrequestmtwsp_generic_desktop","alt":"Citizen Problem Reporter solution shown on a desktop with the township's boundary outlined in blue on the map.","author":"318082","description":"","caption":"Montgomery Township has configured Citizen Problem Reporter to accept only requests for issues falling within the township\u2019s boundaries. On the right, the Search an Address pane is open with Pothole or Sinkhole selected as the request type.","name":"submittingrequestmtwsp_generic_desktop","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2814792,"date":"2025-05-29 20:29:28","modified":"2025-05-29 20:31:44","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2586,"height":1860,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop.png","medium-width":363,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":552,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop.png","large-width":1502,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop-1536x1105.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1105,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop-2048x1473.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1473,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop-647x465.png","card_image-width":647,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubmittingRequestMTwsp_generic_desktop-1502x1080.png","wide_image-width":1502,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Like Action Center, Citizen Problem Reporter sends an email to notify Public Works staff when a service request is submitted, but that\u2019s where the similarities end. \u201cThe difference and benefit is that [now] we receive a detailed message [describing the problem] along with contact information,\u201d says Stacey Rymkiewicz, an administrative assistant with the Department of Public Works. Staff can access the submitted request by clicking a link in the email, making it easy for staff to respond. \u201c[We can also] generate a work order directly from the email [or] pass the issue along to the proper department with less hassle.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","author_name":"Stacey Rymkiewicz","author_profession_organization":"Public Works Administrative Assistant","image":false,"text":"The Citizen Problem Manager [app] was super easy to learn and has really simplified [our processes]."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

According to Rymkiewicz, using the Citizen Problem Manager app has simplified their job in many ways, especially now that the department no longer receives reports for issues that occur outside township boundaries. In fact, from January through November last year\u2014before they implemented Citizen Problem Reporter in December\u2014more than a third of the issues submitted came from areas outside the township\u2019s borders. Since then, that percentage has dropped to zero. That\u2019s right, zero. Equally impressive, the average completion time for requests is now just two days.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2814932,"id":2814932,"title":"MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop","filename":"MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop.png","filesize":1575540,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-solutions\/local-government\/citizen-problem-reporter-a-game-changer-for-montgomery-township-pa\/montgomerytownship_cpmanager_laptop","alt":"Citizen Problem Manager app with the Common Responses sidebar open on the right.","author":"318082","description":"","caption":"Prewritten responses in a sidebar help staff quickly respond to requests belonging to other organizations.","name":"montgomerytownship_cpmanager_laptop","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2814792,"date":"2025-05-29 20:32:27","modified":"2025-05-29 20:32:56","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2982,"height":1650,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":257,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":425,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":1062,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop-1536x850.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":850,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop-2048x1133.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1133,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop-826x457.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":457,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MontgomeryTownship_CPManager_laptop-1920x1062.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1062}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Fans across the board<\/h2>\n

Public works staff aren\u2019t the only ones who are happy with the switch. Ames recently presented Citizen Problem Reporter to the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors, who praised the tool. And, after the meeting concluded, she was approached by two separate residents. \u201cOne resident told me he thought it was a lot easier to use than the previous report and submitted a report right there with me,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t get any easier than that!<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Learn more<\/h2>\n

For more information about the Citizen Problem Reporter solution, check out the following resources:<\/p>\n