Reno DeFilippis

Reno DeFilippis, Director of 311 Constituent Services, opened his remarks at the Everett City Council Budget Hearing for Admin and Finance on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 by introducing himself: “My name is Reno DeFilippis. I’m the director of 311 constituent services.” He said he was presenting the proposed budget for the 311 department and described the office as “a direct connection between residents and the city hall,” handling constituent concerns, service requests, and general city inquiries while coordinating with other departments to resolve issues “in a timely and professional manner.” He also said the office assists with translation services and helps connect non-English-speaking residents to city resources.

DeFilippis said the proposed budget includes operational changes to better match staffing with demand. He told councilors that data show weekend call volume does not justify current staffing levels, so the department is recommending “the elimination of weekend remote staffing” and shifting those resources to weekday operations, where demand is highest. He said FY27 goals include improving response times, strengthening communication between departments, expanding multilingual assistance, and maintaining efficient service delivery. He also said the department plans to continue coordination with DPW, ISD, parking, public safety, and other departments, while expanding public engagement through the city website and social media. He thanked the mayor, the administration, and the council for their support.

In response to questions, DeFilippis confirmed the department has four full-time staff. He explained that a prior assistant director position had handled some responsibilities now associated with constituent services and social media/ECTV work; he identified that former employee as Kevin O’Donnell. He said the department will continue an online portal, voicemail system, and emergency forwarding to police and emergency services. He reported roughly $22,000 in returned funds. Asked about multilingual capacity, he said the office currently supports Spanish, Italian, English, and some Portuguese, but needs more fluent multilingual staffing because of the city’s diversity. He also said he had not seen suspicious activity on the website, but had seen increased use and more service requests. He estimated the office receives “over 100 to 150 calls” per day.

No votes were taken on his presentation. DeFilippis said the department would monitor the new approach and, if needed, “maybe look at Saturdays as well” later.