On 1 February: 9 years of authority number 115 in Chemnitz
Over the past few years, the public authority number 115 has become a permanent fixture in Chemnitz's citizen services. Since 1 February 2012, 478,182 calls have reached the city's service centre via the authority number.
Whether it's about registering a new vehicle, obtaining a certificate of good conduct, a lost key, a new birth certificate or questions about school enrolment. The 115 is always the right number to call. As the first point of contact for all official questions, citizens receive a quick and reliable answer. Regardless of which authority or administrative level is responsible, the service centre staff will do the research. In this way, 115 supplements the citizen service provided by the municipal offices by telephone.
Despite digital media, the telephone is a popular means of communication. Requests are easier to formulate than in a letter or e-mail, questions are answered directly and enquiries can be made immediately.
The 115 is a voluntary programme jointly run by the federal, state and local authorities. The 115 is financed by the federal and state governments. The decentralised local infrastructure is provided by the local authorities.
Nationwide, over 550 municipalities, 14 federal states and the entire federal administration are currently participating in 115. The public authority number can be reached nationwide and also from abroad using the country code.
All participants provide information in a joint knowledge database. 52 municipal service centres throughout Germany provide information on all levels of administration.
A joint service promise from all participants means that the administration can be contacted via 115 nationwide during standardised service hours with comprehensive customer service at all times: "115 is your contact to the administration - no matter where you are and what question you have. Our friendly, competent staff will reach you quickly and reliably, from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm. Your matter will be dealt with at the first point of contact. If this is not possible, we will pass it on for processing."
In Saxony, the cities of Leipzig and Chemnitz operate their own municipal service centres.
Through mutual cooperation, networking and support, the 115 is a good example of cross-level and inter-municipal cooperation.