The City of Mobile has scaled back the hours of its non-emergency 311 citizen hotline, moving from round-the-clock availability to a set schedule of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office announced the change, saying the new hours are expected to save the city about $75,000 a year without cutting any services residents actually rely on regularly. Stimpson spokesman George Talbot said the hotline typically fielded between 10,000 and 11,000 calls a month, but fewer than 20 calls per week came in during the overnight hours between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. that are now being eliminated from the schedule.
City officials say residents with requests that come up outside the new hours can still submit them through the City of Mobile’s website. Any true emergencies should continue to be reported to 911 rather than the 311 line, which is designed for informational requests, service complaints and general questions about city departments rather than urgent safety issues.
The 311 system is intended to route citizen service requests electronically to the appropriate city department, give residents a neutral channel for suggestions about city services, track the progress of service requests, answer general questions about city organizations, and help residents access city services efficiently. City officials emphasized that utility emergencies should still be reported directly to the relevant utility rather than through 311. Water and sewer emergencies outside normal business hours can be reported at (251) 694-3100, electrical emergencies at 1-800-245-2244, and gas emergencies at (251) 476-2720 or (251) 476-8052.
Officials also noted that not every wireless or landline carrier can connect directly to Mobile’s 311 call center by dialing 311. Residents whose carriers don’t support the short code can instead call (251) 208-5311 to reach the same service. The schedule change took effect immediately following the announcement, as the city continues looking for ways to trim costs across municipal operations while preserving the services residents use most.