Madison – Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced today that the City of Madison has won the Digital Cities Survey #1 ranking in its population category for the second consecutive year. The survey ranks cities based upon their innovative uses of digital and online technologies to better serve the general public and streamline operations.

“Madison is a national leader in using technology to create a more open, more efficient, more user-friendly city government,” said Cieslewicz. “As our community continues to grow at a rapid pace, innovative use of technology is one way we can continue to provide high-quality services at a price that taxpayers can afford.”

Cieslewicz noted several key innovations that can help members of the public get more out of their city government:

· The “Report-a-Problem” website (http://www.cityofmadison.com/reportAProblem/) allows local residents and businesses to quickly inform city officials about issues ranging from potholes to trash pickup. Since its inception in 2005, over 5,000 comments have been submitted through this system.

· The Legistar system (http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/mattersearch/home.aspx) is Madison’s online City Hall. It enables members of the public to quickly and easily search for meeting agendas, track the progress of ordinance proposals, and more.

· The online bill payment center (www.madisonpay.com) makes it easy to make convenient online payments for everything from bus passes to parking tickets. Over $44 million has been processed through this online system since its inception.

“We’re proud of our accomplishments, but we aren’t going to rest on our laurels,” said Cieslewicz. “Next year we will embark upon our most ambitious initiative yet, an ‘enterprise permitting’ system. This system will dramatically streamline our interactions with developers and other permit-seekers, while also making our internal processes much more efficient. It’s just the latest example of how we are going to use technology to improve service and save money.”

Cieslewicz extended his congratulations to all the City of Madison employees who contributed to this year’s award, particularly the Information Services Department, led by Dick Grasmick. More information about the 2006 Digital Cities survey is available online at www.centerdigitalgov.com.