SAN CARLOS, CA – April 13, 2007 – The City of San Carlos announced today that it will receive the National 2006-2007 Technology Achievement Award in the Web Services – Small Jurisdiction category (under 100,000 population) from the Public Technology Institute (PTI) based in Washington, D.C.  The award was given after a panel of independent judges reviewed award nominations submitted by PTI member cities and counties.  Award winners will be recognized at the 2007 PTI Technology Leadership Conference, May 6-8 at the Adam’s Mark hotel in Denver. 

According to San Carlos City Clerk Christine Boland "I have received many accolades from City commissioners and the public about how wonderful it is to have access to this information "24/7".  The ePacket and Indexed Video and Minutes technology on the City Web Site is what makes all of that possible."

Public Technology Institute (PTI) Executive Director Alan Shark said "The Annual Technology Solution Awards competition rewards those PTI member local governments that can demonstrate how they apply technology to improve service delivery, reduce operating costs or create new revenue opportunities."

Shark went on to note that "PTI has experienced a resurgence of interest in the Technology Solutions Awards program. We’re most impressed by the quality and breadth of this year’s entries.  The awardees and entrants will receive recognition from PTI, but the real beneficiaries are our city and county citizens."

In the nomination written by San Carlos Information Technology Manager Connie Dillard, ePacket is highlighted for its ability to give residents on-line access to the agenda, individual staff reports and complete agenda packet for the City Council and several City Commissions.  The award also recognizes the work that the San Carlos City Staff from Information Technology Division, City Manager’s Office and City Clerk’s Department has done in providing residents with indexed videos and minutes of City Council meetings, the Mayor’s Wrap-Up Videos of Council Meeting highlights and key City events as well as eNotification email updates (now providing over 5,800 eNotify subscribers with over 30 types of updates) and RSS feeds of City videos, MP3 podcasts and news items. 

Over the last few years, the San Carlos staff has worked with vendors such as Sire, Civica and Granicus to pioneer and develop many of these new features including RSS feeds, indexed videos, ePacket and audio and video podcasting.  These tools and technologies help the San Carlos staff keep their residents informed as to what is going on in their City.

The PTI Technology Achievement Award to San Carlos joins a number of earlier City of San Carlos programs that have won PTI Technology Achievement Awards in past years.  These include In Police Car Digital Video and Audio Recording Systems, Low Cost Web Site Software, the Corporation Yard Solar Project, Visioning Downtown San Carlos, Smart Permit, Technology Goes to School and the Cost Avoidance Reserve.

About Public Technology Institute (PTI)
Public Technology Institute (PTI) is a national member supported organization based in Washington, DC.  As the only technology organization created by and for cities and counties, PTI works with a core network of leading local government officials.

PTI and its member agencies identify opportunities for technology research, share best practices, offer consultancies and pilot demonstrations, promote technology development initiatives, and develop enhanced educational programming.  Officials from PTI member governments participate in councils and forums that address specific technology areas. 

Through its corporate partner program with leading technology companies, and partnerships with federal agencies and other governmental organizations, PTI shares the results of these activities and the expertise of its members with the broader audience of the thousands of cities and counties across the U.S.

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ePacket on the San Carlos Web Site
http://www.cityofsancarlos.org/sirepub/meet.aspx 

 

Indexed Videos and Minutes on the San Carlos Web Site
http://sancarlos.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

eNotify on the San Carlos Web Site
http://www.cityofsancarlos.org/eservices/enotify.asp  

 

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