St. Louis citizens have access to request municipal services and report issues through the Citizens’ Service Bureau (CSB).
The CSB is organized under the Public Safety, Neighborhood Stabilization Division. It is something I’ve used as a last resort when I couldn’t take care of things myself. I tried using it in the past for a range of issues. The most complicated was likely some squatters breaking into vacant buildings and using portable stoves in the winter. It was unsuccessful. I have also used it for other more minor things over the years, mostly with eventual responses.
But hey, things change so I thought I’d give them another shot now that I see people Tweeting requests. The Twitter account manager(s) appear to provide a courteous, seemingly professional service response within modern timeline expectations.
So I thought I’d take a stab at it and document my experience. I’ll do something much less complicated than trespassing this time, like the refuse department.
Let’s start with a dumpster that has been rusted out, missing lids and generally a mess since we’ve lived in Fox Park for a total of 13 years.
But first, a bit of information on how to make a CSB request or report an issue.
You can call, email or Tweet.
I chose to Tweet, so read on for the full story.
Is this worth your time or not?
Day 1 - September 4, 2024 - CSB request.
On the same day, the CSB replied via Twitter with a case ID and the department it was referred to.
A quick visit to the website revealed some additional information: refuse department investigation took place 9/5/24 with a response due by: 09/14/2024.
So I was feeling hopeful in the process.
I waited a couple weeks with no action and revisted the CSB site to see if there were any updates. I have a very literal mind, so I typed the request in the website and got no answer (you can’t enter text, only numeric data in the search).
So I Tweeted CSB again on September 30th. They courteously replied the next day. Look how I misread the auto-generated message:
Ah, thanks for the honesty and correction. I was feeling very cynical at this point. Typical city departments, right? They are not exactly what a tax payer/voter would call prompt or transparent or dignified service providers.
So I put this on the back burner in my mind and moved on.
But, on October 11th, which is a special day for us personally: our 27th wedding anniversary, the Refuse Department replace the dumpster we’ve been pining for over the last decade.
So in summary, is it worth your time to log these CSB complaints? I’d say it is a mixed bag, but yes.
CSB Twitter interactions are courteous, prompt and helpful. Can’t tell you if the in-person experience would be the same. I have had horrible interactions with the city departments in person.
The city departments are slow and incommunicative. They are antiquated and understaffed even though we have record budget surpluses. The leadership is seemingly unwilling to modernize and use technology as a benefit to citizen services.
But it’s not the CSB that is failing, it is the departments with their politically backed lackeys at the helm.
All frustration aside, I am thrilled to see a new dumpster in Fox Park. I will stop short of saying thank you, because we deserve quality services with the sales and property tax hikes we’ve endured coupled with a noticeable drop in service over the last 5-10 years.
It took five weeks, put the system worked in the end.
Do you think that is a reasonable response time? I’d love to hear from county/suburban folks who have privatized trash collection. When you need a new receptacle, how long does it take?
I have no point of reference, so I’ll refrain from opinions.
But I was jazzed. Check it out bitches! I got all the fancy shit we shouldn’t have to brag about.
Embarrassing my wife on our Anniversary of 27 years!
Want to read more of my trash talk? Here’s a post I did back in 2022 where I interview some suburbanites on their trash experiences.
My Hank Hill soul is sated.
