Bensenville residents can now use app to request services

Bensenville has started using an app that allows residents to request village services and report issues such as potholes and graffiti.

The village this week launched its version of SeeClickFix. Residents can download the application for their smartphones or log in online to create an account.

"It takes the middleman out of work requests," Village Manager Evan Summers said. "Historically, you used to have to call village hall, lodge a complaint, and the complaint would get sent over to a department head. Then the department head would assign it to a worker who would go out and do it."

With the new app, requests from residents are routed into the village's work and infrastructure management system, which is called Cartegraph. Then public works employees can respond.

"You've got a skunk in the middle of the road that's dead?" Summers asked. "You can take a picture of the skunk and the location's automatically in there, and our crews can go out there and pick it up right away."

Summers said the system logs every step of a maintenance request. So users can see its progress through completion. A neighborhood map also allows residents to see if an issue has already been reported.

"This new and improved system allows us to continue identifying and resolving important issues while improving response time and efficiency," Village President Frank DeSimone said in a statement. "Utilizing this system will also help identify hot spots, increase productivity, prioritize projects and help us spend tax dollars smarter."

Other municipalities that are using SeeClickFix include Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Itasca and Mount Prospect.

For residents who are not tech-savvy, Summers said they can still make maintenance requests the old-fashioned way - by phoning village hall.