Fort Dodge residents are asked to be on “pothole patrol,” and in exchange for reporting road issues, the city is offering up a chance to win free pizza.

“We knew that the transition from bitter cold temperatures to warmer weather would take a toll on the streets,” said City Communications Manager Amanda Holmes. “While Public Works typically receive a handful of reports through official channels, there isn’t a ‘pothole patrol’ that drives around town looking for them. Our crews go where they’re needed and that’s driven by citizen engagement — in this case people reporting potholes.”

According to Holmes, as the city brainstormed ways to make reporting spring potholes more engaging, they wanted to also remind residents and businesses about TextMyGov which allows people to report problems and ask questions year round.

“We all agreed there needed to be a prize of some sort to encourage people to use the application,” said Holmes. “Then someone pointed out that Kwik Star’s pizza brand is called Pothole Pizza — what could be more fitting? Since everyone has to eat, it was a no-brainer to create a promotion that rewards people for reporting potholes with the chance to win a free dinner.”

The city’s Pizza For Potholes started Saturday and will run through the end of April. Residents are asked to report potholes using TextMyGov by texting (515) 408-9888. For each report, one entry will be made to win the monthly prize of two Pothole Pizzas, a family-size order of cheese-filled breadsticks, and four non-alcoholic drinks. Bonus points will be given for photo submissions of the pothole. Winners will be chosen monthly both in March and in April.

“Nobody likes dealing with potholes — they’re a major headache for drivers, and we understand the frustration,” said Holmes. “Hearing complaints about them is just as tough on us as it is on our residents, and that’s why we wanted to have a little bit of fun while we’re dealing with this annual problem and make reporting potholes more enjoyable. Some residents are still using our old reporting system, which was discontinued over four years ago, or reporting via social media. This provides a great opportunity to make sure everyone is aware of the city’s easy-to-use TextMyGov service. We want people to report potholes — multiple potholes — every pothole they see if that’s what they want to do. Again, our crews go where they’re directed to by these requests.”

Holmes reminds residents that if there is an emergency or time-sensitive report to make, such as a water main break or traffic lights without power, to contact the non-emergency police line and not the City Facebook page or TextMyGov as they are not monitored 24/7 by staff.