City of Houston dashboard tracks and grades 311 service requests

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — There are issues that affect the everyday lives of Houstonians: potholes, trash pickup, and water service. And when there’s an issue, residents can call 311 to report it. The city also keeps track of those service requests and grades them.

For Ruth Quintero, her dogs are more than just pets.

“They are like a family member,” Quintero said.

As someone who calls herself an animal lover, she says she felt the need to help a stray cat outside of her home last week. Quintero said that after it died the next day, she called the city to pick it up.

“I was upset, you know?” Quintero said.

But she told ABC13 no one showed up until Wednesday.

“I hate that. I don’t like that. I didn’t like it all,” she said.

According to a dashboard that compiles a list of services based on opening and closing service requests, the city gave itself a D for dead animal collection.

ABC13 looked to see how the city says it’s doing in other areas that impact Houstonians. The city gave itself an A when it comes to dealing with parking violations. When Eyewitness News asked people about that, some said the city should put its efforts elsewhere.

“You’re interested in driving revenue, but you’re not interested in finding ways to deliver the services on the other end of it,” Eric Certernberg said.

Eyewitness News also looked at how the city is doing with garbage and recycling pickups, an issue that’s been reported on frequently. Data from the same dashboard shows that both categories received an F, a grade that some people agreed on.

“They can do better. I know they are really spread out and folks would say that’s an issue,” Certernberg said.

“I know that a lot of people experience delays in trash pickup. Again, in underserved communities and it’s visibly lagging,” Simone McGowan said.

In a place where heavy traffic and long commutes are common, fixing potholes is an issue some say needs to be prioritized.

The data from the same dashboard shows the city gave itself a D.

“Despite all the work that they are doing with the construction, I’m thinking more along the lines of F. I mean, a city like this, with fourth overall in size. There has to be a better way to handle it,” Ceternberg said.

When ABC13 reached out to city officials to see if there’s a plan to improve service requests that weren’t given A’s, they didn’t provide an answer. In the meantime, longtime Houston residents like Quintero are hoping to see changes.

“I want to see A, A plus,” she said.

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