Rockland moving again on 311 hotline

Rockland moving again on 311 hotline
By SARAH NETTERTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 20, 2007)
Ever have a government question but no clue who to call?
It's been years in the making, but Rockland County is moving again on a 311 hotline to answer questions and give referrals on all government-related topics.
A $950,000 bond is working its way through County Legislature committees. The entire project is expected to cost about $2 million, but budget constraints have forced splitting the cost between this year and 2008.
"This year's budget was too tight so we decided to go with a less aggressive, more conservative plan," County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef said.
Modeled in part on New York City's successful 311, Rockland's hotline would field complaints and questions on anything from potholes and fallen trees to passport procedures and human rights violations.
Rockland County already has a health and human services hotline in InfoRock, launched in 2004. And in 2005, the United Way of Rockland joined with other counties in the Lower Hudson Valley to offer 211, a social services referral line similar to InfoRock.
Vanderhoef said that InfoRock would merge with 311 once the latter was functioning.
The $950,000 up for approval this year would be used to buy software, licensing and other technical items, Vanderhoef said. The other half, in 2008, would be used for training, marketing and making the system "live."
Legislator and Majority Leader Michael Grant, D-Garnerville, said that legislators wanted more information before deciding to proceed with the project, including data from other communities that have 311 systems.
"There's some concern as to whether or not the value is there," he said.
InfoRock averages 1,000 calls a month, said David Farrison, the county's director of community relations. Industry standards for 311 systems are 1.5 calls per year per constituent. Rockland County is home to about 300,000 people.
InfoRock can be called at 364-2020 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Farrison said it would be unrealistic to expect that kind of interest in 311 on the first day, and he noted that the industry standards are for government hotlines while InfoRock is strictly health and human services.
"I think we would have to build to that type of number," he said.
During the county's study into its own 311 system, some departments reported that 25 percent to 30 percent of their calls were meant for other departments, Farrison said. Having 311 would cut down on that and, in turn, free up employees to handle their own department's work.
Farrison said the county was looking into what kind of state reimbursement 311 could get, since InfoRock gets back up to 65 percent for referring calls.
Pedestrians in Nyack yesterday were supportive of 311.
Heather Haera of Valley Cottage said that she'd use such a system, especially for things like pool schedules and Indian Point siren testing.
Walking down Main Street with her young daughter, Jenni, Haera said it could be difficult to get government information and that she used Google or an informational packet published by the town.
"They send out a book if you live in Clarkstown ... with phone numbers that I keep," she said.
Daniela Mansfield said that once it's operating, the county should advertise the system so residents know it's available.
"I would use that if I knew that number exists," the Nyack resident said.
Vanderhoef said the 311 call center would be set up in the InfoRock space at the Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center in Ramapo. The current call center would need to be upgraded with more equipment and telephone lines, he said.
The county also would need to hire three people for 311, he said. InfoRock now has five full-time and two part-time employees.