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1st Scottsdale, Ariz.
A citywide Data Quality Scorecard gives departments a clear view of the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of key data sets. At the heart of Scottsdale’s enterprise data strategy is Amorphic, a cloud-based, AI-driven platform for real-time data management and application, enabling cross-department collaboration. In one AI and data project, the IT Department developed a water conservation tool that automates landscape classifications and then calculates ideal water usage using AI, machine learning and data analytics to put each gallon of water in this desert city to the best possible use.
In 2025, Scottsdale placed its main city website, economic development portal and public library system on a modern cloud-based platform, allowing for more streamlined management. The sites were also optimized for mobile and multilingual users. And an intelligent virtual agent was released for internal HR and IT support, reducing IT ticket resolution time from three days to just minutes for some 2,700 users.
2nd Roseville, Calif.
Roseville’s digital strategy blends innovation, data transparency and resident-focused design to make city services more accessible. At the core of that effort is myRSVL, a citywide customer relationship management platform powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 and generative AI. Through its mobile app, web portal and chatbot “Rosie,” residents can submit service requests, track progress and get updates. Since its July 2023 launch, mobile submissions have jumped by more than 50 percent.
Roseville also stands out for its use of data and AI to tackle real community challenges. Its Homelessness Dashboard offers transparent, cross-departmental insights to guide decision-making and strengthen public trust, while an AI-powered citizen chatbot helps handle routine questions, freeing up staff for more complex projects.
Behind the scenes, the city also continues to progress its cybersecurity maturity and workforce innovation. Recent projects include modernizing storage infrastructure across data centers and expanding training programs. Roseville exemplifies how midsize cities can harness emerging tech to strengthen both government performance and community connection.
3rd Bellevue, Wash.
Bellevue, Wash., lands in third place this year, with a digital government approach centered on collaboration and modernization. Its Inclusive Innovation Forum, launched in late 2024, connects residents, educators and tech companies to solve civic challenges while advancing application modernization, AI pilots and open data. The partnerships benefit Bellevue in a time of cost containment and growing technology demand. The forum is supported by $2 million from the city budget.
The city’s top enterprise goal is to transform its core business systems. While that may include ideas from the Innovation Forum, ultimately, the digital transformation comes from a six-year program led by the CIO and five executives. The program will modernize human resources, asset management, financial systems, customer relationship management, service management and data analytics. The city has hired a program manager, held visioning sessions and developed a road map. The hands-on technical work is set for 2026.
With this modernization in focus, the Information Technology Department continues to work on digital equity, AI advancement, upskilling employees and supporting change management. Over the past year, Bellevue launched a new customer service portal and a new utility billing portal that integrates water use data and water detection capabilities. These tools reflect the city’s growing use of data and automation.
AI is also being used for a self-service chatbot, as well as accessibility and multilingual services that are integrated into city services. Traffic enhancements are in play for pedestrian safety, and cybersecurity planning and incident training have been refreshed. A new data lakehouse underpins Bellevue’s analytics and AI pilots, standardizing information across departments and strengthening transparency through shared dashboards.
4th Columbia, Mo.
Columbia, Mo., is enhancing its digital landscape to better serve its 130,900 residents. In a strategic shift toward in-house development, the city implemented new software to help the human resources department manage employee leave more efficiently by reducing the need for manual data entry. The result is savings on annual software subscriptions and a three-hour-per-week efficiency gain for staff. Another internal transition from three different legacy systems to Laserfiche improved searchability for 8 million documents and is expected to save $46,000 annually.
To simplify resident access to services, Columbia created an app for park amenities, replacing PDF maps, and became the first in Missouri to implement a single sign-on option for its citizens. The city has also worked to incorporate data and constituent feedback into its decision-making. Its platform for resident feedback, BeHeardCoMo, has had nearly 100,000 visits and helped facilitate 146 city projects.
Underpinning all these efforts is an overhaul of core network infrastructure. The city upgraded to 100G switches and enhanced firewalls to improve reliability and security.
5th Norfolk, Va.
In Norfolk, the implementation of tech in citywide operations places digital equity at the forefront. The Department of Information Technology advanced several initiatives, including the ASAP (Automated Security Alarm Protocol) to PSAP (Public Safety Answering Points) project, an automated system that routes security alarm calls directly into the 911 dispatch queue, saving reportedly hundreds of staff hours each year by bypassing the call-taker.
Norfolk's digital transformation also took shape through its website redesign, improving navigation, mobile responsiveness and accessibility measures under the Americans with Disabilities Act. New tools like CivicOptimize enable fillable online forms and streamlined payments, while the launch of an AI-powered chatbot now provides 24-hour assistance to residents seeking information or service support. Norfolk also extended its focus on accessibility beyond the web, achieving near-full closed captioning for digital broadcasts and expanding its NorfolkTV content to multiple platforms including YouTube, Roku and mobile apps.
The city’s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) and AI flood-modeling initiatives demonstrate Norfolk’s continued openness to applied AI. Among several capabilities, the RTCC allows access to live video camera feeds, license plate readers, and real-time information to help police make more informed decisions and effectively utilize resources.
5th Olathe, Kan.
Like many jurisdictions, Olathe is looking into ways to leverage emerging artificial intelligence technologies to improve its services. The city deployed GovAI last year as an AI-powered assistant for city employees, focusing initially on AI capabilities and operational functionalities. The city also drafted an acceptable use policy that each employee must sign before accessing the GovAI tool, to help prevent misuse. And Olathe piloted the Polimorphic AI-powered chatbot on its website to give residents the opportunity to ask city-related questions in a conversational format.
Olathe also introduced a Digital Service Chatbot for its website, which appears on high-traffic pages to help answer residents’ questions. And for those who prefer to get help over the phone, the city leveraged Five9’s cloud-based call center technology to improve responsiveness.
Cybersecurity remains a top concern for municipalities, and Olathe is no exception. Earlier this year, the city made substantial progress in its ongoing efforts to improve the cybersecurity posture of its water infrastructure. Security efforts for water production were finalized, including integrating firewalls, updating procedures and data flow, and implementing new technologies. The city also completed macrosegmentation of its traffic light network, streamlining traffic management while improving network security. On the flip side, the city is nearing completion of microsegmentation of its data center security, which isolates network segments to reduce vulnerabilities.
6th Baton Rouge, La.
Baton Rouge enhanced its digital services for residents this year, an effort driven by strong data governance work. The city’s Data, Analytics and Performance (DAP) team serves as a centralized hub for advancing data-driven initiatives and operations. This year, DAP relaunched the local Red Stick Ready app, which delivers real-time updates to users during emergency response and disaster situations to smart devices. App users receive direct communications from the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Users can track time-sensitive updates like road closures, shelter locations, location-specific information and other impacts on services.
The DAP team also supports law enforcement through the police department’s Real-Time Crime Center, which leverages location-based data to deliver real-time public safety insights. These analytics enhance emergency response, improve community safety, and help identify crime trends that inform prevention and reduction strategies. Time-sensitive information like this also enables officers to be more prepared when they arrive at a crime scene. This data-driven effort exemplifies how Baton Rouge is using data governance to keep public safety a priority.
Expanding broadband access and advancing digital equity remain top priorities for Baton Rouge. To support these goals, city leaders updated the Code of Ordinances to eliminate barriers to broadband expansion in underserved areas. For example, communication providers intending to set up facilities in areas approved by the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity are now exempt from certain fees. Additionally, the Department of Information Services partners with the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system to deliver Internet access to the community. Free Wi-Fi is available for public use at 15 library branches, in addition to over 800 computers, 120 laptops and 700 hot spots.
7th Corona, Calif.
The city of Corona, Calif., took a seventh-place spot in this year’s survey for its efforts to improve city services and operations through technology. The city is leaning heavily on the use of artificial intelligence for internal and operational efficiencies and has made a significant effort to modernize its core IT footprint.
AI has become an integral part of addressing citywide priorities, including housing development, in which the technology is used to check plans against state and city building laws. The project has significantly reduced processing times. In a similar vein, a partnership with Digital Water Solutions is using AI to monitor pressure and flow data to detect hidden water leaks in real time, and CityRover is being used to detect potholes via dashcam and mobile devices. Internally, a partnership with Madison AI is helping staff to draft reports.
Corona’s real-time crime center has seen some success in stopping crime with several cutting-edge technologies, including drones as first responders, license plate readers, AI-enabled advanced surveillance and analytics. Strengthening cybersecurity has also been a key priority, and in 2024, IT staff executed a robust defense-in-depth strategy, layering in a number of technologies to protect city networks. Officials note that these efforts evolved the city’s defenses from a reactive posture to an adaptive cyber risk management strategy.
7th Frisco, Texas
The city of Frisco, Texas, earned seventh place in its population category, driven by its growing use of artificial intelligence, transparent governance and resident-focused digital services. A key area of progress for Frisco this year was its deployment of generative AI. City staff piloted the use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to summarize public meetings and create internal briefings, streamlining content creation and internal communication. These early pilots are informing the city’s broader AI strategy as leaders explore additional use cases in operations and service delivery.
Transparency and accessibility were also top priorities. The city launched its inaugural Capital Improvement Projects Dashboard, a public-facing tool that visualizes capital investments by district and allows users to filter by category, status and funding source. Meanwhile, a redesigned open data portal introduced new interactive visualizations and improved mobile accessibility, allowing residents to more easily engage with city data.
Frisco also continued to modernize how it delivers city services. The city’s website underwent a refresh to make it more mobile-friendly, while digital tools such as a citizen engagement platform and 311 integration helped streamline constituent feedback and service requests. Internally, IT implemented a refreshed cybersecurity training platform and transitioned the city's disaster recovery infrastructure to the cloud, reinforcing its resilience and readiness posture.
8th Grand Prairie, Texas
Grand Prairie, Texas, earned recognition this year for its growing use of cloud services, artificial intelligence and open data to enhance transparency and public safety. Over the past year, the city deepened its commitment to cloud-first operations. With 70 percent of IT systems now cloud-based, Grand Prairie reported faster service deployment, easier maintenance and more reliable access for city departments. The IT department has also integrated generative AI tools into daily workflows to assist with document creation, research and brainstorming, helping to boost efficiency across teams.
Public safety initiatives were another area of focus. The police department expanded its drone-as-a-first-responder program, using AI to identify potential safety concerns in real time. The city also added interactive GIS dashboards for fire hydrants, station locations and zoning, providing timely geographic data to first responders and planning teams alike.
On the civic engagement front, Grand Prairie launched a new open data platform that presents city data in a more digestible, visual format for residents. The IT department also introduced a help desk dashboard for internal use, allowing staff to track resolution times and performance metrics in real time. Internally, a new digital asset management platform has helped streamline content access across departments, supporting collaboration and version control.
9th Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Once a center of wine production, Rancho Cucamonga is emphasizing a service-first philosophy and prioritizing cybersecurity, resiliency and collaboration. Its Department of Information Technology is now included in city procurement on tech-related bids, and across the enterprise, AI integration has recently been a focus with the deployment of Workday Assistant and Microsoft Copilot empowering intuitive work and streamlining workflows. For the public, a new customer portal simplifies building permit requests.
On the cyber front, leaders debuted a dedicated Vulnerability Management Program, with routine scans to identify weaknesses in key systems. A formal security information and event management platform processes more than 200 million logs and generates as many as 60 alerts a day.
Department of Innovation and Technology staffers worked with municipal utilities to establish Rancho Cucamonga’s electric utility network in GIS via a digital twin, saving staff and contractor hours. The Department of Information Technology has created a strategic yearly budget process that aligns with the city’s IT master plan to reduce unplanned IT spend, and officials have worked with finance to project IT replacement costs out 10 years. County sheriff and city officials stood up a Real-Time Information Center to improve public safety and align law enforcement operations, optimizing the integration of security video feeds to drive information access and confidentiality.
10th Alexandria, Va.
Tech work in Alexandria, Va., this past year was spread across several projects within the city’s internal departments. Indeed, in the Washington, D.C., suburb, progress was made in areas that range from an internal department communications platform to the use of AI to a new app that helps users access information about the area’s many historical signs.
As with many cities right now, however, Alexandria faces workforce challenges around hiring and retention, and the City Council approved $1.25 million in funding for projects that would help ease those issues. This resulted in the city’s technologists and data scientists reviewing information in order to model data, identify trends and consult with other departments as it relates to the workforce. One key goal of this work was determining which positions in the city present the biggest hiring and retention challenges, and thereby deserve a $3,000 retention bonus. With help from the data and tech folks, the retention bonus was implemented in April. In addition, Alexandria has conducted work to digitize its human resources processes. This has led to the deployment of three new modules for learning, onboarding and performance, all of which were implemented in 2025, with the shared goal of making the city’s workforce management more efficient and effective.
Finally, Alexandria continues to explore the use of AI and machine learning within its judicial system, going so far as to establish a data governance group in May to conduct a review and oversight process for data housed in the Justice Information Community systems. This committee is working to fine-tune the use of justice data as the city continues to move forward.
