The city of Scottsdale earned the 2024 Voice of the People (VOP) Award for Excellence in Online Engagement for the second year in a row.
The VOP Awards are the only nationally recognized honors given to local governments based on resident input, government performance, and community data in decision-making. This is the 16th year of the awards, presented by Polco and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
Scottsdale has implemented several online engagement tools, including:
- Speak Up Scottsdale - residents can offer feedback on city issues, programs, services, and projects
- Hello Scottsdale - allows the community to provide feedback via text/SMS
- Social Media – connects residents with local government services, events and important updates through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, Nextdoor and LinkedIn. These platforms allow for important dialogue between the community and the city.
- Polco – allows residents to share their feedback through questionnaires, polls and online feedback.
Scottsdale's public involvement team continues to drive citywide efforts to expand methods of public feedback to reach and hear from more voices in the community as issues are explored and decisions are made. The team continuously evaluates new methods and tools and launch innovative methods that result in higher numbers of residents engaging with the city.
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VOP Award categories include excellence or transformation in: economy, safety, natural environment, health and wellness, mobility, education, arts & culture, parks and recreation, utilities, community design, trust in government, budget & finance, online outreach, and online engagement.
Polco, a community engagement and civic analytics technology company, presents the Voice of the People Awards in partnership with ICMA. The full list of winners was first released at the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.