Government Experience

Officials in Pottawatomie County, Kan., negotiated a much-reduced ransom with the criminals behind a cyber attack that took the county's computer systems offline for close to two weeks.

With residents clamoring for services and information, many agencies turned to chatbots during the pandemic. But aside from simply gaining momentum in adoption, it seems government use of the technology is also maturing.

The city of Aurora, Ill., partnered with KnowBe4 to develop a free online Internet security course for its residents. The course contains eight different lessons and is in response to the new norm of remote work.

Los Angeles County court officials discussed what they learned while launching hybrid court sessions during the pandemic, including outfitting courtrooms, comparing commercial and custom platforms and supporting participants.

Incompatibility between new software and old meters led to higher water and sewer bills for residents of Akron, Ohio. The city had planned to install new smart meters, but the U.S. chip shortage has stalled progress.

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles has adopted new technology to better manage the flow of customers and transactions through its offices in the midst of the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic.

Bandwidth, a popular voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) company based in Raleigh, N.C., has dealt with outages over the last few days due to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

The pandemic drove Pima County, Ariz.'s Family Drug Court to takes it sessions virtual and over the phone. The changes meant less camaraderie but more convenience, and the ability to reach new demographics.

As part of a $500,000 pilot program, Sacramento, Calif., will install 100 air quality monitors in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Such areas tend to have worse air quality than their counterparts.

Karina Ricks had led the Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure since 2017. She is now working for the Federal Transit Administration as associate administrator for research, innovation and demonstration.

Research has shown that the Citi Bike bike-share program in New York City is predominantly used by men. How can local areas ensure a public transit system serves everyone? Experts weigh in.

Naperville, Ill., rolled out a text-to-911 option this week. Officials advise citizens to only use the service if a phone call can't be made. No pictures or videos can be delivered with the service at this time.

A survey of transit riders illustrates some of their concerns around the cleanliness of vehicles, on-time performance and the technology that seeks to improve engagement and the overall experience.

Chicago and its technology partner CityBase have expanded a program offering payment kiosks throughout the city. The devices are strategically positioned to allow safe and easy access to services 24/7.

From May 2016 to March 2020, Maryland has overcharged drivers in the thousands via its cashless tolling system, according to a legislative audit. The state now exclusively uses cashless tolling.

The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration's online tax collection portal is complete, allowing users to file most of their taxes electronically and schedule automated payments.

In the fifth annual Government Experience Awards, winning jurisdictions got creative and found new ways to get citizens the critical information and services they needed to weather the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In an exclusive interview, CEO Mark Hynes talks about what’s next for his company during this busy time for gov tech vendors, and what it takes to achieve scale. He also explains what that means for public agencies.