2016 has been a great year for state and local government. Cities are getting smarter, data centers are getting smaller, and state IT departments are getting more innovative. State and local govies have worked hard this year and it shows.
In order to celebrate the year that was and get ready for 2017, State and Local Spotlight is counting down the ten best, most innovative things that happened in state and local government over the past year.
10. Open Data, Open Conversation
The Indianapolis Department of Public Safety and Code for America recently launched Project Comport. The project works to use technology and city data to improve public safety. The project’s website houses law enforcement data on citizen complaints, use of force, and officer involved shooting, making it easier for law enforcement agencies to share this data with the public. 2016 saw the project expand to cover three more cities while broadening coverage to pursuits and assaults on officers. Check out what Code for America has to say about this project in this post.
While the world seems to be moving towards urbanization, 46 percent of the world’s population lives in non-urban areas. Unfortunately for those non-urbanites, in the United States, most state resources are funneled into communities based on population. Enter the America’s Best Communities challenge. The competition worked to stimulate growth and revitalization efforts in small cities and towns across the country by identifying innovative ideas in these areas to sustain local economies. Learn more about the challenge and what it meant for smaller communities in this post.
8. How to Respond to Your State’s Retirement Ready Workforce
The silver tsunami is forecasted to sweep the state and local workforce in the coming years. While many states have the potential to be blindsided by their retiring workforce, others are developing programs and initiatives now to ensure that they are ready to fill the vacuum of retirees. Check out how the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is reframing their approach to recruiting and retaining employees in preparation for the evolving workforce.
7. The Buckeye State Talks IT Optimization
Ohio’s IT department has had a busy year. Most significantly, they have consolidated all of their infrastructure into one computing center that brought together the 26 cabinet agencies in Ohio. This has allowed the state to upgrade legacy systems while running a much more secure and efficient department. Learn about the other benefits of consolidation and how you can start initiating these efforts in your agency in the coming year.
Can’t get enough of these inspiring state and local stories? Check back next week for articles 6-4.
Where is the rest of this article?
The last line finally appeared so that answers your question, and mine. Here it is: “Can’t get enough of these inspiring state and local stories? Check back next week for articles 6-4.”