Civic Tech

A new website launched by the Kentucky Chamber Foundation and Workforce Center helps job seekers and employers connect through an automated and intuitive system. The product replaces a less advanced site.

Thanks to an increase in citizen participation after San Diego transitioned to virtual public meetings during March 2020, local officials say they will keep the meetings completely online.

The committee who split Spokane County into five commissioner districts spent hundreds of hours drawing maps this year as they determined how to divide the county into equally populated, politically fair pieces.

Plus, the USDA plans to make $1.15 billion available to efforts that aim to bolster rural access to high-speed Internet; Montana makes a move to create its own statewide broadband map; and more.

Local governments, including Sacramento, Calif., and Kauai County, Hawaii, have turned to City Portal by Airbnb to develop and manage short-term rental policies and gain short-term rental market insights.

The city of Lansing, Mich., modernized the process of marijuana business licensing through a new online records management system. The changes have simplified the process for city staff and end users.

Plus, Philadelphia reports progress in getting residents connected to the Internet, Cleveland has a new program to connect residents to resources, an online map lets residents get involved with redistricting work, and more.

Liza Massey, CIO of Marin County, just north of San Francisco, discusses the intersection of digital and racial equity, and the importance of getting the community involved to push efforts forward.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has outlined his billion-dollar strategy to bring broadband access to underserved parts of the state. At least 200,000 homes and businesses are expected to benefit.

Key computer systems used by the state of Missouri are so outdated that officials are worried some of the only programmers who know how to work with the antiquated technology will soon retire.

A team of researchers at Cornell Tech has developed a forecast of urban technology trends over the coming decade, predicting movements in machine learning, life sciences, infrastructure and other fields.

Plus, the Federal Communications Commission has committed an additional $1 billion to the Emergency Connectivity Fund program, California looks to improve its procurement processes for tech services, and more.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers recently honored people and projects that have demonstrated innovation in technology within the public sector, and named a new president.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Family Reunification Task Force launched a website called together.gov that aims to help reunite families separated by the U.S. government at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Bethel Police Department is seeking $125,500 to upgrade the department's current computer-aided dispatch and records management system software. Among other things, the system would allow for faster ticketing.

A new SMS chatbot launched by the Mayor's Office of Food Access aims to help connect residents to resources that can help combat food insecurity. The tool is part of Boston's larger food access agenda.

Plus, a new report addresses ways the country’s largest county can get all of its citizens connected; San Jose, Calif., launches a new initiative to aid with Internet affordability; and more.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry recently launched SkillUp PA, a free virtual job training program that offers online training to bolster the commonwealth’s information technology workforce.