March 11 is the perfect day to educate residents about the value of Knoxville’s phone number. 

And eat cake. 

The 311 Center for Service Innovation, which turns 15 in May, will host a reception at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 11, in Suite 311 of the City County Building (400 Main St.) to celebrate the service that assists Knoxville residents in requesting City services and information about those services. 311 Center staff members also field calls to East Tennessee’s 211 help line, a partnership with CAC's Office on Aging and the United Ways of East Tennessee to connect callers to social service agencies. 

Department Director Russ Jensen praises the six customer support agents who field approximately 600 to 700 calls per day. More than 3 million residents have called the 311 and 211 help lines since the Center opened.  

“Our 311 operators have so much knowledge and resources at their fingertips,” says Jensen. “Not only do they help keep the City’s day-to-day services working smoothly, they have also been instrumental in coordinating resources during extreme events, like the flood damage in 2019 and the 2017 Gatlinburg fires.” 

The top five reasons people call 311 are to report or request support for:

• The location of a pothole on a City street;
• An overgrown lot or derelict property;
• An abandoned or inoperable vehicle;
• Other potential codes violations; and
• Updates on 2020 Census activities and COVID-19 precautions. 

311 can be reached by phone at 3-1-1 or 865-215-4311. Services are also available online at KnoxvilleTN.gov/311.