BATON ROUGE, LA — November 2, 2018 — Today, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced that the Center for Digital Government has named Baton Rouge a 2018 Top 10 Digital City – the fourth year in a row the City-Parish has achieved such a designation. Baton Rouge’s 2018 Top 10 Digital City ranking places it alongside other leading digital mid-sized cities such as Pasadena, CA, Norfolk, VA, Bellevue, WA, Alexandria, VA, and more in the 125,000 to 249,000 population category.

“One of my administration’s top priorities has been to identify ways in which we can use technology and innovative thinking to deliver more efficient and effective services to Baton Rouge residents and businesses,” said Mayor Broome. “This Top 10 Digital City ranking is yet another example of how our work over the past two years is paying off. I’m proud of our entire team at the City-Parish for their commitment to technology, transparency, and data, which serves as a model that other mid-sized communities around the nation can learn from in advancing their own digital initiatives and smart city strategies.”

Over the past year, the City-Parish has made significant advancements in utilizing technology to run government more efficiently and serve citizens more effectively. In February 2018, Mayor Broome launched BRLA.gov as a comprehensive web platform that replaced the former BRGov.com with a modern design, mobile-friendly platform, streamlined navigation tools, and real-time notification and emergency alert functions. This new web platform was highlighted by the Center for Digital Government earlier this year through the Center for Digital Government’s 2018 Government Experience Awards.

Other key digital initiatives launched or advanced over the past year include the expansion of the City-Parish’s Open Data BR program through Mayor Broome and the Metro Council’s adoption of an open data policy for all City-Parish departments, the implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to replace financial and procurement systems that were more than 20 years old, the continued growth and utilization of the EBRGIS program for geospatial mapping and business process improvement, special projects such as utilizing drones for local waterway mapping, and organizational efficiency measures that include the consolidation of IT functions within a central IT environment at the Department of Information Services.

For 18 years, the Center for Digital Government has conducted the annual Digital Cities Survey to measure cities’ performance and innovation in using technology by distributing a comprehensive survey to all U.S. cities, towns, villages, and consolidated city/county governments. The survey considers cities nationwide that align their technologies with city goals in order to improve the interactive experience for citizens and others doing business with the city; to save tax dollars through newfound efficiencies; boost transparency, cybersecurity, and engagement; and innovate through unique and exciting projects.

For more information on the 2018 Digital City awards, visit: http://www.govtech.com/dc/digital-cities/Digital-Cities-Survey-2018--Winners-Announced.html

For more information on Baton Rouge’s submission, visit http://www.govtech.com/dc/Digital-Cities-2018.html?page=4