The city of Phoenix has received an Outstanding Achievement in Innovation Award from the Alliance for Innovation, a nonprofit organization that promotes innovation among local governments.
Phoenix was recognized for its Innovation and Efficiency Task Force, which consists of members of the public and city staff. Under the Task Force’s direction, the city has saved more than $40 million by implementing such strategies as consolidating departments and functions, right-sourcing, eliminating paper pay stubs for employees, and other creative ideas.
“This award acknowledges the tremendous strides our city has made when it comes to streamlining our processes and saving tax payer dollars,” said Councilman Bill Gates, chairman of the Finance, Efficiency, Innovation and Sustainability Subcommittee. “There is no finish line when it comes to innovations and efficiencies. We will continue to explore every opportunity to better serve our residents and business owners while maximizing every dollar spent.”
“The city’s financial crisis in 2009 was an opportunity to galvanize the entire city,” said City Manager David Cavazos. “The private sector, policy makers and city employees worked together to come up with innovations and efficiencies that changed the way we deliver services to our customers.”
Over the next five years, total savings from innovations and efficiencies are expected to reach $125 million.
More than 70 cities and local government agencies applied for the innovation awards, which was presented at the Alliance’s annual conference.
“It was gratifying to see 700 local government professionals excited to recognize and learn about Phoenix’s Innovation and Efficiency Task Force concept. This innovative program, which partners the private and public sectors together to develop creative strategies and solutions, is now being highlighted as a leader in national best practices,” said Ed Zuercher, assistant city manager, who accepted the award for Phoenix at the conference.
For more information about the city’s innovation and efficiency program, visit phoenix.gov/efficiency.
Additional information about the Alliance for Innovation can be found at transformgov.org.
