The city of Springfield says it’s not affiliated with and doesn't recommend downloading a new municipal government mobile application built by an outside company founded by the city's own budget director.

Bill McCarty, the budget director who operates app developer Gov 311 Inc., said his company's Springfield 311 app is meant to complement the city's official website.

The free app provides contact information for city officials, addresses and operating hours for city and county offices. In addition, there are buttons on the app that will link users back to the city's website (springfield.il.us) to complete tasks such as reporting potholes, broken street lamps and other problems.

Gov 311 promises its app will improve the relationship between government and citizens. But Mayor Jim Langfelder's office released a statement Thursday making clear the app isn't operated by city government.

"The information is not maintained, updated or kept secure by any city department," the statement said. "The app is not associated with the city of Springfield and the city does not sponsor, recommend or endorse the app."

City communications director Julia Frevert said she was receiving emails and texts asking about broken links or other issues with the app, which prompted the city to release its statement.

“We want to clarify the confusion,” she said. “Serving our residents, we take that to heart, and the best way we can make sure their issues are taken care of is to use the city of Springfield website.”

McCarty said his company has developed similar mobile resources for the Springfield Park District and the villages of Sherman and Riverton. For the Springfield-focused app, his company sought private sponsorship to pay for it.

“I wanted to (create) it in a way that was apart from the city," McCarty said Thursday. "So I asked a local organization to sponsor it, so citizens could take advantage of having (an app) but wouldn’t have to pay for it as taxpayers.”

Green Family Stores, which runs more than a dozen auto dealerships throughout the city, is paying the yearly startup and subscription fee of about $1,000 for the next two years. Green's name appears on the screen when the app is launched.

Frevert said McCarty approached the city about collaborating on the app after securing the sponsorship over the summer. But the city declined.

“Since our site was already mobile-friendly and had capability to report a problem through mobile device, we declined going through that route,” she said.

The city is not opposed to using technology such as a mobile app, Frevert said, but she wants to make sure the technology residents are using is integrated with the city’s internal systems.

For example, residents can report a fallen tree branch on the city’s website and it is emailed directly to public works department, which can add it to the work order list. Frevert said her goal is to eventually have that complaint sent directly to public works crews out on the job so they can fix the problem as soon as possible. But building a system like that takes time, she said, and now wasn't the best time for an app.

McCarty said he sees the logic in the city using its internal system. “I can understand why the city would want reports fed into their work order system,” he said.

McCarty emphasized that Springfield 311 aims to help residents of the broader Springfield area, with information for county offices and school districts.

Still, Langfelder said that because "Springfield" is included in the app's name, residents may confuse it as a city government initiative.

“Having 'Springfield' on it, that’s something that I’m not promoting. I’d prefer it to not have that on there,” Langfelder said, adding that he worries Gov 311's app will be an additional layer between city officials communicating with residents.

“I’m not a big fan of filters because communication can get lost. I’d rather have direct communication with citizenry,” said Langfelder.

The Springfield app works differently than others that Gov 311 has developed directly with smaller government entities.

The Springfield Park District contracted with Gov 311 to develop an app where park-goers can report broken swings, downed branches or other problems on park grounds. The app, which launched Thursday, allows people to take photos of problems they see at any district-run park, add a location and a comment and send it park maintenance staff.

While Springfield already has a system that works similarly, smaller governments often don’t due to the expense, McCarty said.

Lynn Saputo, director of recreation for the park district, said the reporting feature of the app will help resolve park issues more efficiently.

"We wanted to empower the public to get (problems) directly into the hands of general maintenance department," she said. "As an agency, we’ve been using it internally also for our hundreds of park maintenance staff that maintain our grounds."

The district paid $1,375 for the startup fee, Saputo said, and will pay $750 for the yearly subscription.

-- Contact Mary Hansen: 788-1528, mary.hansen@sj-r.com, twitter.com/maryfhansen.