NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 20238GOVBUSINESS REVIEWIN MY OPINIONIt was a great honor earlier this year when the Center for Digital Government named our city the first-place winner of the Government Experience Award for raising the bar for responsive government. We were especially gratified as Coral Gables--named ahead of much larger cities across the country-- has made engaging residents a top priority in how we govern. I believe the key to our success has been the strong partnership between our innovation and technology department and our communications office.In a highly connected world where the marketplace provides same-day delivery and on-demand transportation can provide a ride in minutes, all with simple clicks on a mobile device, local governments can no longer expect its residents to deal with anything less than user-friendly portals with easy sign-on and simple navigation strategies to communicate how e-government works. Traditionally, the public sector has lagged behind private enterprise in this regard, but municipalities are now re-thinking their digital capabilities. I am happy to say Coral Gables is at the forefront of these efforts.Last year, our IT department and communications staff (along with valuable input and support from the City Clerk's Office) teamed up to re-create our website with a new search that can adapt to relevant results, one-click applications that focus on functionality and ease of use, and enhanced integration with IT's smart city data and third-party applications. Combining the right technology with a well-thought-out communications strategy, we vastly improved how we connect and engage our residents and the thousands who visit our city each year.Peter J. Iglesias, P.E., City Manager, City of Coral Gables, FloridaByWe publish online budgets, policies and a wide range of city data on performance metricsDIGITALIZING GOVERNMENT SERVICES
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