By Stephen Appezzato
MIDDLETOWN – Asking questions of or reporting concerns to municipal officials and department heads is easier than ever as the township recently rolled out its new Connect & Correct system.
Last week, Middletown’s online request system went live, offering a more streamlined method for residents to get in touch with the township.
“Anything (nonemergency) that a resident needs can be done through here,” said Mayor Tony Perry.
From requesting meetings with township committee members to reporting potholes and lost pets, or asking questions about property taxes or code violations, “any of those things a resident can reach out and discuss with the proper department or individual,” Perry said.
Using any computer, residents can visit the township’s homepage and click the “Report a Con- cern” (Connect & Correct) button to be taken to the portal. From there, a list of different departments and matters is displayed. After selecting a topic, residents can pinpoint the location of the matter and upload a photo (optional) and description of the issue. Residents can track the progress of their submitted request through completion. At this time, all submissions are private.
“Since we’ve launched it I’ve already answered three or four residents that had a question or concern about something and was able to quickly get it resolved for them,” Perry said.
The new system allows “for a more seamless ability for elected officials here in Middletown and our department heads as well, to connect with our residents and quickly demonstrate the results of their report,” he added.
“If it’s a pothole and the pothole was filled, our public works team, if they were alerted to it, can then report back to the resident that their issue… has been fixed,” he explained.
In February, the township will launch a Connect & Correct app, making it even easier to report concerns quickly.
“Given the fact that everybody has a cell phone in their hands almost 24 hours a day seven days a week, it made sense for us to create an opportunity to utilize that cell phone as a mechanism to quickly enter some information and alert the township to a concern or a question they might have,” Perry said.
Connect & Correct is the township’s branding of the See-Click-Fix platform, which is also used by cities like Newark, Jersey City and Paterson, as well as towns such as Westfield and Summit.
The article originally appeared in the January 23 – 29, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
