Established in 1980 as an ombudsman office for the citizens of Fort Worth with city departments, Action Center serves as the city's switchboard, as its information and referral center and as its resolution center. In January, Action Center received approximately 8,000 calls from residents wanting to know how to access city services. About 125 of those calls came from citizens requesting help resolving a long-standing problem, such as front yard parking or substandard housing. In fact, calls dealing with code violations are the number one Action Center request, followed by Animal Control issues, such as stray animals, and potholes and deteriorating streets. Graffiti removal ranks among the top five Action Center requests.
Some citizens opt to come in person rather than call.
Last month, about 200 individuals visited Action Center, including a few homeless people as well as irate citizens. To demonstrate his anger at having to resolve this issue himself instead of the city resolving it, he brought a big, black plastic bag full of lawn clippings with him to City Hall and dumped the contents on the floor of Action Center. He then took his grass-clipping bag to the Mayor's office. As the weather heats up, so does the increase in citizens' visits to Action Center. When citizens initially call Action Center for assistance, they are directed to the appropriate department.