Local Government

The deputy city manager, who previously served as CIO for more than five years, will leave the Silicon Valley to become chief technology officer and head the Information Technology Department in Seattle, Wash.

The deal brings together a gov tech firm that focuses on local governments and an app that neighbors use to keep track of what’s going on. CivicPlus says the integration will boost civic engagement.

Samantha Sendrowski outlines her approach to AI, learning from her peers, and the advantages and challenges of managing systems in New England's second largest city.

AskCOS, the city of Colorado Springs’ new artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot, was trained using Colorado city government information alone. The virtual assistant can answer constituent questions in 71 languages.

University-based cybersecurity clinics are enabling students to offer basic cyber services to local governments, hospitals, nonprofits and other groups with limited resources for the work.

The city of San Jose has adopted an AI-powered translation tool to improve accessibility at City Council meetings for people who primarily speak a language other than English. It may see wider use, depending upon its performance thus far.

The recently announced Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program offers state funds to help address cybersecurity gaps identified by vulnerability assessments. Applications are due July 1.

The My Whitfield community mobile app offers details on area housing, careers and events as well as links to regional municipal websites. It was developed in partnership between the county, the city of Dalton, and civic organizations.

The Borough of Prospect Park has deployed a tool from gov tech startup Polimorphic to respond to incoming telephone calls. The artificial intelligence is helping a small staff connect with residents despite a reduced work week.

The South Florida company has announced plans to buy Lilium electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jets, and to begin flying in Miami in 2026. It’s believed to be the first U.S. airline to integrate eVTOL craft into its fleet.

Grand Traverse County received $18 million from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. It has awarded $15 million — with more than a quarter of those funds going to infrastructure. Broadband is among the potential uses in that category.

County leaders and officials at Internet service provider ToledoTel celebrated the first high-speed Internet connection Friday in a project that will bring broadband to more than 2,300 homes and businesses around the city of Winlock.

Among its directives, the order from the Maryland county’s executive creates an AI task force that will be responsible for drafting strategies, use cases and priorities. “Digital access equity” is central to that work.

Tacoma's Equity Index is a data-driven tool that allows leadership to not only measure progress in ensuring equitable services, but also to see interconnected outcomes on issues like safety community-wide.

This is the first acquisition for OpenGov since Cox Enterprises took control of the company in a February deal that valued the gov tech firm at $1.8 billion. OpenGov plans a new suite of tax and revenue products.

The county, the city of Niagara Falls and the town of Lockport will receive more than $130,000 via the State Homeland Security Program. The funding can be used, generally, to address coverage gaps and incident response.

The Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City will work with contractor Windemuller Electric to do a vulnerability assessment. Officials will look at the airport’s computer network and do an internal audit of digital systems.

The city’s chief technology and information security officer of six years will, for now, serve as chief information officer following the retirement Tuesday of CIO Bill Zielinski. The outgoing CIO will head to the private sector.