PDX311’s work to support constituent services is helping ensure community voices are heard

Community members contacted City Council and the Mayor’s Office about the FY2025-26 budget over 4,500 times in May through the online Contact an Elected Official form and email. Thanks to new constituent services tools launched and supported by PDX311 and the Bureau of Technology Services, elected officials were able to easily review, categorize, and respond to these comments and use this community feedback to help shape a thoughtful and responsive budget for Portland’s future.

The new constituent service tools, which include the online form and customer service management software, give elected officials better ways to understand and track community input and their office’s response. For example, constituent contacts can be categorized by topic, and Council offices can track trends in volume, how long it takes to respond, and other metrics to improve their responsiveness to community members.

PDX311 staff also supported the budget process by attending all four District Listening Sessions and helping answer community questions about accessing government information and services. In May, PDX 311 staff also helped approximately 250 community members who contacted 311 reach their elected officials or participate in the budget process.

Learn more about Portland’s budget process here.