For the fourth year in a row, Marana ranks as a top 10 digital city as designated by the Center for Digital Government.
The Center for Digital Government announced the winners of the 2015 Digital Cities Survey today, recognizing leading examples of cities using technology to improve services and boost efficiencies. Marana is ranked 5th for populations up to 75,000.
“The top-ranked digital city governments in this year’s survey are using cloud services, data analytics and mobile apps—among other technologies—to help citizens interact with government more easily than ever before,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “These cities are true innovators and we applaud their efforts to increase transparency and open government, encourage citizen participation, and enhance cybersecurity. Congratulations to the winners!”
The Center for Digital Government highlighted the following Town of Marana technology initiatives:
- Town Website redesign. On July 1, 2015 the Town launched a new web site. The site was designed with a single page concept so that visitors to the site can quickly find what they are looking for with just one click from the home page. The design team also went with a more open design that integrated commonly used plugin apps and apps coded by the Town staff. Feedback from residents and businesses has been very positive. It is a simple design that provides easy access to the information that Town site visitors require.
- In 2012 the Town introduced its Mobile app “My Marana”. Until recently the app has been a 311 application for reporting issues within the community. Town staff worked to provide additional information to its users via the app. These include Town social link feeds, GIS maps, employment opportunities, news and event information, and the ability to pay utility bills through the app.
- The Town's app creation capabilities were put to good use in the fast-tracked construction of a new outlet mall, which paired Technology Services and Building Services staff to speed contractor site inspections. The team developed an app with features like a one-click inspection request and a quick permit lookup that proved helpful in keeping the project on track.
Now in its 15th year, the Digital Cities Survey is part of the Center for Digital Government’s Digital Communities program, which focuses on collaboration among cities, counties and regions. The survey focuses on citizen engagement, policy, operations, and technology and data. Responses are reviewed and judged based on a set of criteria and how well the cities implemented these services across the city.
The survey honors cities in four population classifications: 250,000 or more; 125,000 to 249,999, 75,000 to 124,999 and fewer than 75,000.
