Sacramento County continues its upward momentum as a top digital leader, securing fourth place in the Center for Digital Government’s 2014 Digital Counties Survey. Nationally, counties are rigorously evaluated for IT-related initiatives that involve citizen engagement, policy, operations and technology/data.

“This ranking highlights the technology initiatives that have strengthened our service delivery and created efficient user experiences for citizens and businesses in Sacramento County,” said Bradley J. Hudson, Sacramento County Executive. “Our IT programs also streamline processes and reduce costs.”

The Digital Counties Survey compares counties throughout the U.S. and is an ideal measurement of technological evolution that has been implemented over the previous year. Local governments’ emerging best practices, trending technologies and IT growth opportunities, all rise to the top of the survey.  As a top ranking qualifier for the digital information category, online information must be presented clearly, be easily understood and acted upon on the first visit by constituents.

The Sacramento County IT Initiatives that garnered acclaim for citizen engagement included:311 Connect, Planning Projects Viewer and theCounty’s online services. Also, increased communications outreach to constituents was recognized with the newly launched SacCountyNews website and the Open Data Portal, as well as the County’s amplified use of social media channels.

Through policy, the County’s support of greater transparency and open government were highlighted with the implementation of an Open Data Policy and the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan that includes upcoming IT projects. Also underscored were cost-reducing policies, which lead the way for the consolidation of IT functions and countywide computer power management.

The County also received acknowledgement in the operations category for its handling of IT plans and initiatives and the modernization of infrastructure systems from a countywide perspective.

Two regional projects round-out the survey’s Technology and Data category The Regional GIS Cooperative reduces redundant activities and enhances mapping resources throughout the greater Sacramento area; and the upgrade of the Sacramento Regional Radio Communications System, that covers more than 1,000 square miles, enables federal, state and local public safety agencies to use radios to communicate with mutual aid response teams in emergencies.

“Looking to the future,” said Rami Zakaria Sacramento County Chief Information Officer, “technology initiatives will be launching include more cost-saving shared IT services, enhancement of our portal and websites, expansion of open data and transparency, continued focus on cyber security, and creating systems that are optimized for mobile.”

Sacramento County will be honored for the 2014 Digital Counties Survey ranking at a reception during the July 11-14 National Association of Counties annual conference in New Orleans and has ranked in the top ten every year it’s participated since 2004.

2014 Digital Counties Survey ranking in 500,000 or more population category:

  • 1st  San Francisco County, CA

  • 2nd  Montgomery County, MD

  • 3rd  Fairfax County, VA

  • 3rd  San Diego County, CA

  • 4th  Oakland County, MI

  • 4th Sacramento County, CA

  • 5th  Palm Beach County, FL

  • 6th  Baltimore County, MD

  • 6th  Hennepin County, MN

  • 7th  Alameda County, CA

  • 7th  Mecklenburg County, NC

  • 8th  Bexar County, TX

  • 8th  Wake County, NC

  • 9th  Los Angeles County, CA

  • 9th  Miami-Dade County, FL

  • 10th  King County, WA

  • 10th  Westchester County, NY

The Center for Digital Government

Winners of the Digital Counties Survey will be featured on govtech.com, in Digital Communities articles and the Center’s best practices and leadership publications. Aggregated results of the Survey will be shared with participating counties to encourage an ongoing dialogue among practitioners related to lessons learned and best and emerging practices. The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event, and research company, focused on smart media for public sector innovation.