Posted 9:07 pm Saturday, November 17, 2012
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Tyler receives Texas Municipal Excellence Award
By JACQUE HILBURN-SIMMONS
jsimmons@tylerpaper.com
Tyler’s efforts to promote transparency in local government captured the attention of the Texas Municipal League, which presented it this week with the 2012 Municipal Excellence Award in Communications during its annual conference in Grapevine.
jsimmons@tylerpaper.com
Tyler’s efforts to promote transparency in local government captured the attention of the Texas Municipal League, which presented it this week with the 2012 Municipal Excellence Award in Communications during its annual conference in Grapevine.
The award recognizes the city for its 2011 E-Annual Report, viewed as the best communication tool among Texas cities of more than 25,000 residents.
“As people become increasingly dependent upon websites and social media for their news and entertainment, it is vital for us, as a Municipal Government, to offer information in a format that fits into our citizens’ daily lives,” Mayor Barbara Bass said in a prepared statement.
The mayor said she is proud of the award because it reflects the philosophy of local leaders: keep the residents informed.
“Transparency in government is a priority for our organization,” she said, noting the annual report is an important instrument in those efforts.
Officials said people seek information that’s quick, easily accessible and interactive.
The annual report’s E-Book format allows residents to view the report at their convenience via computer, smart phone or tablet and link up to YouTube videos as a supplement to the text.
External Relations Director Susan Guthrie said tough economic conditions led to the decision to curtail printing thousands of hard copies of its annual report and move toward an electronic version.
Instead of printing 25,000 copies, they printed 5,000 so residents without Internet access could still access the information.
The mayor said she is proud of the award because it reflects the philosophy of local leaders: keep the residents informed.
“Transparency in government is a priority for our organization,” she said, noting the annual report is an important instrument in those efforts.
Officials said people seek information that’s quick, easily accessible and interactive.
The annual report’s E-Book format allows residents to view the report at their convenience via computer, smart phone or tablet and link up to YouTube videos as a supplement to the text.
External Relations Director Susan Guthrie said tough economic conditions led to the decision to curtail printing thousands of hard copies of its annual report and move toward an electronic version.
Instead of printing 25,000 copies, they printed 5,000 so residents without Internet access could still access the information.
It was a decision that yielded about a $10,000 savings, Ms. Guthrie said, noting hard copies of the report contain QR codes so anyone with a smart phone can access the information.
In the end, the efforts paid off in ways no one expected.
“It’s a huge thing for us to be recognized,” Ms. Guthrie said. “We’re very excited — we tried really hard to make it (report) interesting.”
The Texas Municipal League is an association comprised of more than 1,200 Texas cities and recognized as the largest organization of its kind in the United States.
The Excellence Awards recognize and encourage the achievements of Texas cities in meeting the challenges of municipal government through problem-solving, management, resident participation and city services.
In the end, the efforts paid off in ways no one expected.
“It’s a huge thing for us to be recognized,” Ms. Guthrie said. “We’re very excited — we tried really hard to make it (report) interesting.”
The Texas Municipal League is an association comprised of more than 1,200 Texas cities and recognized as the largest organization of its kind in the United States.
The Excellence Awards recognize and encourage the achievements of Texas cities in meeting the challenges of municipal government through problem-solving, management, resident participation and city services.
