The city of Chandler ranks second in the nation for the government experience for a city in the most recent awards announced by the Center for Digital Government.

The awards recognize the achievements of states, cities and counties that raised the bar on the experience of government services to create a better-engaged constituency and a more responsive government, according to a news release.

A few of the projects that resulted in Chandler’s top ranking are relatively new.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division launched a six-month pilot program, offering instant language translation device services in more than 10 city departments and more than 20 divisions across city government.

Real-time language translation enabled city staff to easily have immediate conversations and on-demand engagement with residents and the public, regardless of language or disability.

Chandler engaged residents in the annual budget process through a six-week digital campaign to promote the FY 2024-25 Budget Input Survey to the widest audience possible.

This was the second year the city used a digital campaign, with multiple tactics to disseminate information. The digital ads resulted in 7,691 clicks on the webpage with the survey.

The click-through rate for the ads was 1.39%, which is more than double the industry average. The users who clicked through to the webpage had an average time-on-page of almost 2 minutes.

The city offers a mobile application, Public Stuff, that allows residents to submit service requests, which include graffiti, low-hanging wires, park maintenance, potholes, sign complaints, non-working traffic lights and water leaks. The application easily connects to the city website with links to news, the mayor-and-council page, police non-emergency (call or text), recycling and trash services, the Join Team Chandler recruiting site and social media channels.

The Chandler Municipal Court extended its customer engagement and service options by offering litigants the ability to chat online using an AI chatbot to get efficient and focused service with the court.

The online chatbot function adds a dimension to the court’s customer service, making it easier for the community to access information and have questions answered.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic.  Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.