Promoting Transparency: The Leon County Website

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

To continuously enhance the community’s ability to access local government, Leon County redesigned its website to promote transparency, accountability, and performance results. Leon County Community and Media Relations, along with Management Information Services, played an integral role in developing and re-launching this re-tooled website, which includes innovative features like the “Citizen Connect Button”, “Your Checkbook”, and a “News Ticker”. These new features are accessible via a smart phone application or the newly designed website. The centrally located “Citizen Connect Button” allows visitors to access online services, report or track a problem, make an inquiry online or choose to talk to a live person. The “Your Checkbook” feature allows citizens to access an online searchable database for actual county expenditures. The “News Ticker” feature is an attention-grabbing, real-time, scrolling text feature for County news headlines with links to events and information. The four core areas emphasized by Leon County, “Demonstrating Performance & Results”, “Promoting Transparency, Accountability & Accessibility”, “Engaging Citizens & Partnering with Our Community”, and “Ensuring Livability & Sustainability” are conveniently located at the top of the homepage. The “Citizens Connect” tool is a corner stone in Leon County’s organizational culture of citizen engagement, service and responsiveness. The citizens ability to connect with the County, and subsequently the County’s ability to connect with its citizens through the implementation of the “Citizen Connect” features has fostered greater citizen participation and trust in government. The information the County receives through citizen engagement efforts, similar to this one, is an invaluable resource in providing the highest standard of public service.