The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, heard an update from City Code Enforcement Officer Kris Erickson on the new “SeeClickFix” phone management system for calls to City Departments. The system went into use on August 1st, but a full system roll-out to the public won’t be until sometime next month.

Erickson pointed out a reporting page that tells anyone in City Government about issues. She said there have been 111 issues reported thus far by citizens, such as barking dogs, trees or debris on the road, etc. Of those, 37 have been addressed by various City Departments and personnel. Others were in queue.

The barking dog issue, which came up Wednesday, would not normally be reported to the SeeClickFix system, instead it would go to the Atlantic Police Department, but a system warning sign during an entry prompt didn’t flag it as it should have. The call ended-up going to City Clerk Barb Barrick, when it shouldn’t have.

That’s just one of the quirks of the system that needs to be worked out. The system shows which active issues citizens have called about, and are in-line to be taken care of. Anything not active, will be archived and available for reference for up to 10-years. One the best features Erickson likes, is with regard to property issues that need to be address, such as mowing, clean-up or snow removal. The system will allow simple changes to disputed due dates and other matters.

Unfortunately Erickson said the SeeClickFix app for citizens of Atlantic to use on their smart phones, isn’t ready yet. If it were available, you could take pictures of issues in your neighborhood and submit them with your complaint, or handle other matters by simply texting the appropriate department.

Once it is available, the public will be notified through the media. In other news, the Council approved a Resolution accepting the work of the 2016 Street and Alley Improvements, which closes out the projects. The final contract price was a little over $1.925-million. And, in his report to the Council, City Administrator John Lund discusses a complaint he received with regard to sidewalk sales. A citizen was concerned with the way the sidewalks are being cluttered with signs and merchandise. The matter will be discussed further in a Community Development meeting.

Lund said also, there is a proposal from a person interested in purchasing the old YMCA building and renovating it into a multi-residential housing unit. That, and any financial/economic incentives, will be discussed in a meeting of the City’s Personnel and Finance Committee, with a recommendation to come before the Council at a future meeting.