The Center for Digital Government (CDG) this week named Skokie as one of its 2023 “City Government Experience” Award winners, recognizing the Village’s efforts to leverage technology to make services more accessible, convenient and efficient.
The national awards program highlights the achievements of states, cities and counties that have raised the bar on the experience of government services to create a better engaged constituency and a more responsive government.
Skokie is one of only nine communities across the nation awarded for focused projects that make it easier for community members to do business with their government. Other CDG City Project Experience Winners include Alexandria, VA, Austin, TX, New York City, NY, Raleigh, NC and Irvine, CA.
“This outstanding recognition is a testament to the Village’s commitment to providing best-in-class municipal services to all residents, while striving for continuous improvement,” said Mayor George Van Dusen. “It’s an honor to be recognized by the Center for Digital Government – particularly among other much larger municipalities – for our innovative efforts to improve resident experiences, utilize taxpayer resources efficiently, and meet our community’s evolving needs.”
Skokie was recognized for its implementation of the Skokie Streamline Service Optimization Portal, which automates and streamlines processes and tasks previously handled manually, and provides residents the ability to schedule and make secure online payments for a variety of Village services, including fire protection system inspections, pet licensing, fire alarm permit renewals, emergency financial assistance, and birth and death certificate applications.
Fully launched at the start of 2023, the portal makes it easy for residents to access Village services and programs online, rather than waiting in line. To date:
- 43 percent of customers have used the online portal to renew False Alarm security system permits, saving 950 trips to Village hall
- 36 percent of residents have purchased their pet license online, completing transactions in less than one minute on average
- More than $50,000 has been donated electronically to the Village’s Emergency Financial Assistance program, with check-out processes taking an average of less than 30 seconds
The portal also allows the Village to deploy its resources more efficiently by providing advanced data processing capabilities, helping staff analyze and improve service delivery.
This is the second award the Village has received for the innovative project. On September 18, the Village was recognized with the 2023 “Silver” Civic Experience Award from government technology company CivicPlus.
About the Center for Digital Government
The Center for Digital Government (CDG) is a national research and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices in state and local government. CDG is a division of
e.Republic, the nation’s only media, data and events company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.
