The past years have watched the City of Cedartown take steps to better utilize the digital connections between citizens and city government, with a re-designed website and greater interaction on social media.

Now the city is taking additional steps forward to keep local residents and visitors alike up-to-date with happenings within the city, and make it easier than ever to report problems, pay bills and more. The My30125 app for both major platforms will be coming soon and give local residents and visitors alike an easier way of communicating with their local government.

Cedartown Performing Arts Center Direcotr Oscar Guzman provided the Cedartown City Commission with a presentation to preview a new app for phones and devices that run iOS and Android will be coming after additional testing and other issues are resolved, but is almost ready for release to the general public.

“I would say that we’re a few months away from launch,” Guzman said.

Guzman said the same company that runs the city’s online billing services designed the application, which provides a variety of services including the ability to pay your bill on your phone without having to make a phone call or log in to services outside of the application.

The mobile experience of interacting with the city through the app also include access to meeting minutes and contact information for city commissioners, business listings that owners can update on their own for local residents and tourists alike to find services, restaurants and stores, and even a tourism element to use as a guide for those coming into the city for the first time off the Silver Comet Trail.

He also explained that another useful element is providing residents the chance to let the city know about problems, like removal of graffiti or potholes that need to be filled. Work orders can be filed through the app, with a GPS coordinate and the ability to attach photos so those who get the report of an issue know the full extent of what they’re facing when they arrive.

Commission Chair Matt Foster was concerned over whether that system could be abused, with residents using fake profiles to flood departments with requests. Guzman explained that each request will be forwarded to the correct department, and those responsible will have a chance to look at work orders and reports before they jump into action to fix a problem. An additional feature is that when a work order goes in, because the GPS coordinates provided will be able to help ensure there’s no duplication and cause a flooding of reports to a department.

One specific useful feature that Guzman think will be useful for local residents is push notifications, which can be used to inform people of closures and emergencies for people who download and use the app.

“Anyone who has the app, you can localize it for notifications for letting people know specific event,” Guzman said.

The city still is working on the app and ensuring that everything works correctly, and items like privacy concerns and Terms of Service can be worked out before moving forward with a launch to the general public. The same software company who handled the city’s utility billing is responsible for setting up those particular issues, which City Manager Edward Guzman said would be worked out before launch.

Once the app is launched, business owners will be sent a unique link to claim their profile on the new app and be able to make changes on their own to listings that are being provided without any additional cost.

CPAC Director Oscar Guzman added that the app can be adjusted to the needs of the city at any given time, so categories and information can be added as new opportunities for promotion become available.

“We don’t have to reach out to a third party to handle the updates, we can do all of that in house,” Guzman said.