Residents calling in to check the status of a request can get the questions answered by city staff who can log into the system and find the complaint and let the resident know who’s working on it and how long it might take to resolve it.

The new software can also record resident phone calls so city staff can hear residents describe the problem in their own words. It’s good to see government acting in ways that are geared toward the consumer, and in ways that a private business might operate.

Thumbs down

Nation’s oil supply too fragile

To the fact that the American and world oil supply system can be put entirely out of whack by a break in a relatively small pipeline in northern Minnesota.

Last week, a pipeline carrying oil from Canada to the United States, ruptured and exploded near Clearbrook, killing two workers.

The event sent world crude prices soaring, increasing anywhere from $3.47 to $4.55 a barrel in trading to the upper $90s per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange

The pipeline is important, but still relatively insignificant, carrying 1.5 million barrels of oil a day. The country uses 21 million barrels a day.

The fact a temporary disruption in a Minnesota oil pipeline can set global markets into a panic reinforces the need for America to work more diligently toward a more diverse, efficient energy policy.