CivicPlus® Announces Civic Experience Award Winner

2023 | CivicPlus Announces 2023 Civic Experience Award Winner

CivicPlus, THE modern civic experience platform, announced the top three finalists in its second-annual Civic Experience Award competition. The City of Margate, Florida, won gold honors from CivicPlus and its panel of industry-leader judges for its Property Improvement Grant Program, which created positive civic experiences in the community. The winners were recognized at a virtual award ceremony with CivicPlus on September 18. The second and third-place finalists were the Village of Skokie, Illinois, and the City of Calera, Alabama. 

The judges unanimously chose the City of Margate, Florida, and its Property Improvement Grant Program (PIP) as this year’s winner. On October 19, 2022, the Margate City Commission approved the program, which set aside 1.5 million dollars for property owners to make comprehensive fixed capital and other improvements to their property. The program provides 50% reimbursement up to $10,000 for improvements to single-family properties or multi-family (individually owned) homesteaded properties. It also provides a 50% reimbursement grant of up to $50,000 for commercial or multi-family properties and common areas and building exteriors owned by condominium or homeowner associations. The program’s intent is to encourage property and business owners to restore, renovate, and improve their property, thereby improving the area’s visual quality and attractiveness and increasing property values in Margate. 

CivicPlus created the Civic Experience Awards to recognize current U.S.-based CivicPlus customers leading government departments, teams, and municipalities working hard to improve civic experiences in ways that create greater resident satisfaction, safer, cleaner, and more profitable communities. 

“Since we created this award program, I’ve been inspired by the incredible stories our customers have shared with us,” said Brian Rempe, CivicPlus Chief Executive Officer. “Our goal with the Civic Experience Awards is to celebrate and recognize the outstanding efforts of local government leaders and amplify their stories to inspire others.” 

Watch the 2023 Civic Experience Award ceremony to hear our finalists’ inspiring stories.  

2022 | CivicPlus Announces First-Ever Civic Experience Award Winner

CivicPlus, a public sector integrated technology solutions leader, has announced the top three finalists in its first-annual Civic Experience Award competition. Stearns County, Minnesota, won gold honors from CivicPlus and its panel of industry-leader judges for its two-year digital transformation effort that has empowered resident self-service and created positive civic experiences in the community. The winners were recognized at a virtual award ceremony with CivicPlus on June 16. The second and third-place finalists were the City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Chesterfield County, Virginia.

CivicPlus created the Civic Experience Awards to recognize current U.S.-based CivicPlus customers leading local government departments, teams, and municipalities working hard to improve civic experiences in ways that create greater resident satisfaction, safer, cleaner, and more profitable communities.

In early 2021, CivicPlus opened its Civic Experience Award competition with a call for entries from local government representatives to describe recent accomplishments helping create positive interactions with residents that are frictionless, one-stop, and personalized. The top ten submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges that included Ellory Monks, Co-Founder, The Atlas for Cities, Daniel Jones, Chief Information Officer, City of Portsmouth, Virginia, Oswaldo Mestre, Jr. Director of the Division of Citizen Services, City of Buffalo, NY, and Ashley Copeland, member of the ELGL Board of Directors.

“We were overwhelmed by the number and variety of inspiring stories we received during the nomination process,” said Jennifer Elliott, CivicPlus Director of Product MarketingLinkedin. “Our goal with the Civic Experience Awards is to celebrate and recognize the outstanding efforts of local government leaders and amplify their stories to inspire others.”

Jennifer Burger, Stearns County, Minnesota, Digital Services Manager, submitted the winning application.

Burger wrote, “In the shadow of a global pandemic, with widespread lockdowns and closed government offices, it was more important than ever that Stearns County empower our community by providing information and services to more residents in more ways. At the same time, we needed to update processes and improve efficiencies for County staff who faced drastic changes in their daily work, so they could continue to serve the public. Over the last two years, we’ve launched a suite of digital services that help us achieve these objectives and improve the overall civic experience.”

The County’s implemented suite of solutions includes a CivicPlus website that incudes AudioEye accessibility monitoring, the CivicPlus Chatbot, and several online forms that allow residents to easily and securely submit information and requests to various departments.

“I was impressed by Stearns County’s application and how the County’s leaders embraced so many modern and innovative technologies, uniting them all in ways that create a seamless and positive experience for residents looking for news, information, and resources from their local government,” said Civic Experience judge Ellory Monks. “I applaud CivicPlus for elevating such stories and inspiring fellow municipal leaders to embrace the benefits of digital transformation.”

A call for nominations for the 2023 Civic Experience Awards will take place in January.