Barry Graham, Vice Mayor of the City of Scottsdale | https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/council/councilmember-barry-graham
Barry Graham, Vice Mayor of the City of Scottsdale | https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/council/councilmember-barry-graham
The city of Scottsdale has been awarded the national "Voice of the People Award" for its innovative use of technology to enhance resident engagement. The award is presented by Polco and the International City/County Management Association to recognize local governments that effectively engage residents and incorporate public opinion into community decisions.
"Scottsdale is deeply honored to receive the Voice of the People Award. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our city employees and unwavering commitment to serving the needs of our community," stated Scottsdale Mayor David D. Ortega. "Scottsdale is a place where residents have a voice and are actively involved in shaping our future."
The city's efforts are part of implementing the Collaboration and Engagement chapter of its voter-approved General Plan. Over the past year, Scottsdale adopted new technologies to revitalize community engagement.
One such initiative is the Hello Scottsdale platform, which allows residents to provide feedback via text/SMS. Several hundred residents used this tool to give input on a new off-leash dog area planned for Thompson Peak Park next year. This platform also serves visitors in Old Town and is being piloted in solid waste services, helping connect residents with recycling and trash services via smartphone.
Additionally, Speak Up Scottsdale was launched as an online community for discussing city issues, programs, services, and projects. Currently, it facilitates discussions on homelessness, aiding Scottsdale's Human Services staff in collaborating with clients and partner agencies to address street homelessness.
Residents also engaged with various topics through nearly 13,000 uses of the Polco online questionnaire platform over the past year. These topics included a new water-saving landscape ordinance, a draft Sustainability Plan, and a Short-Term Rental Resource Center Map.
Scottsdale's public involvement team continues its efforts to expand public feedback methods to include more voices in decision-making processes. The team regularly evaluates new tools and methods to increase resident engagement with city matters.
For more information on public involvement opportunities in Scottsdale, visit ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search "get involved."
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