By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Citizens in Del Rio can now connect with city staff through 83GO, a free app that can be used to submit suggestions and to make service requests related to issues in the community.
Whether it is an issue related to a broken streetlight or a question
about how to be part of an upcoming city parade, the 83GO app helps direct users to the people who can help. The app is free to download through the through various app stores and it requires users to create an account to communicate with city staff.
Peter Ojeda, the city’s communications and marketing director, sat with The 830 Times to explain details about the app. Ojeda said the app creates engagement between residents and the city’s departments regarding concerns or questions pertaining to private properties, neighborhoods and upcoming events.
“Anything from potholes, issues with streetlights, graffiti or anything we see having a public concern . . . That is something that can be handled on the app,” Ojeda said.
Ojeda said the app first launched in July 2023 under the leadership of former City Manager John Sheedy and Anita Pruneda, Ojeda’s predecessor as communications and marketing director.
The app acts as a condensed version of Del Rio’s main website. The main page of the app has icons directing the users to different pages with information identical to the city’s website.
The list of pages users can see in the app includes:
— The City of Del Rio Landing page
— Recordings of past city council meetings
— The city’s official Facebook page.
— The City’s Directory page
— The Open Records request page
— The list of the city departments
— The Trash Pickup page
— The Pay My Bill page for users to make payments
Ojeda talked about the main feature of the app: sending requests. Users can submit requests by clicking on the icon with a wrench and a screwdriver crossed over each other, which is located near the bottom of the app’s home page.
Users can submit a request and view their requests and messages sent by city staff via the messages page located on the bottom left of the home page. By having the geotag settings switched on, users can also see the requests made by other people in their area.
App users can submit a request with as much detail as they can provide, including photos, which will then be submitted to a city staff member at the department most closely associated with the user’s request. The geotag setting on the app helps the city departments know where a specific request was sent from.
Ojeda mentioned staff members get a lot of requests regarding potholes, overgrown lots and fallen trees and branches.
Ojeda said they have more than 400 registered users, adding his team wants more people to know about the app.
“(The app) has been in use for over a year, and I think the more people use it and get
comfortable with it, the more it's going to be useful not only for citizens, but also for the city. It will help us identify the issues of need for the community,” Ojeda said.
