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Glendale achieves high honors in data-driven certification status

Posted 7/16/21

The City of Glendale achieved 2021 What Works Cities Certification, the national standard of excellence in data-driven city governance.

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Glendale achieves high honors in data-driven certification status

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The City of Glendale achieved 2021 What Works Cities Certification, the national standard of excellence in data-driven city governance.

What Works Cities Certification evaluates how well cities are managed by measuring the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence into their decision-making.

What Works Cities is a national initiative by Bloomberg Philanthropies to help cities use data and evidence to more effectively tackle their most pressing challenges. Glendale, which achieved Certification at the silver level, is one of only 16 cities to be newly certified this year and one of only 40 cities to be certified since the program was launched in 2017.

Among the city’s many accomplishments, Glendale was specifically recognized for the development and use of the GlendaleOne service portal and for providing new ways to reach and deliver service through the Community Action Office (CAP).

GlendaleOne became the city’s new customer service portal starting in 2020. Residents now have the ability to submit requests for non-emergency services, see estimated time for resolution and track the city’s performance. The portal has dramatically improved both efficiency and communications for service requests to the city.

“Earning this esteemed designation has been a goal of ours since this program began and we worked very hard to earn this,” Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps stated in a news release. “We are thrilled to be recognized for our investment in the collection of data as part of our decision-making processes across the city and we look forward to continue using data in order to make a positive impact on the lives of our residents.”

During the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Glendale moved rapidly to provide emergency aid to residents using the Community Action Office. Demand for service skyrocketed during the pandemic. To meet that demand, Glendale quickly and efficiently used data to improve workflow and staffing, while also transitioning to a fully online application process and providing a new computer kiosk to facilitate online applications. By more efficiently managing and tracking the data, in two quarters alone, the city safely delivered almost $9 million in COVID-19 relief funds to more than 2,000 families in need of rent and utility assistance

What Works Cities Certification assesses cities based on their data-driven decision-making practices, such as whether they are using data to set goals and track progress, allocate funding, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and achieve desired outcomes from contracts with outside vendors. The program also measures whether cities are publicly and transparently communicating about their use of data and evidence.

Click here to learn more about how Glendale is continuing to use technology and data to serve residents.