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Audit finds ongoing issues in Denver 311 operations

the Auditor at your service

Timothy M. O’Brien, CPA, Auditor of Denver

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Denver 311 is the City and County of Denver’s central, multilingual customer service center that gives residents an accessible way to get information, request services, and report non-emergency issues. Thanks to community feedback, my office recently audited Denver 311 and found that both 311 and its partner city agencies still lack a coordinated approach to effectively manage and resolve resident requests, an issue we first identified more than a decade ago. Denver 311 agents work to resolve residents’ requests themselves.

But if an agent cannot address a resident’s need, they connect them to the appropriate city agency. However, once a case is transferred to a partner agency, Denver 311 doesn’t perform the service work, close the request, or send a resolution message to the resident. Those responsibilities fall to the agency receiving the case. Because Denver 311 does not supervise those agencies, it cannot confirm whether they are responding promptly or communicating relevant and helpful information when the case is closed.

Audit finds ongoing issues in Denver 311 operations

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Denver 311 also does not have the authority to enforce agency accountability for case management and resolution. Therefore, we directed recommendations to the Mayor’s Office to address these gaps. In our second finding, we found Denver 311 agents are relying on some resources and tools that are inaccurate or inconsistent. There is no requirement for partner agencies to provide Denver 311 with new points of contact or updates when changes occur.

Missing information and outdated documentation could reduce the efficiency of Denver 311’s operations. Denver 311 agreed with all five of our recommendations to make improvements. The number of people who are frustrated or dissatisfied with receiving inadequate or even unrelated information should not be downplayed. In the coming months, we will complete a follow up report to review whether the Mayor’s Office and Denver 311 have implemented our recommendations.