(Thursday, November 15, 2007)  For the third consecutive year, the City of West Palm Beach has been honored as one of the top ten digital cities in the nation by the Center for Digital Government and Education.  The City ranked seventh in the country for cities with a population between 75,000 and 124,999.  The award recognizes the City for using technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents.

“From broadcasting the State of the City address live on-line to building a City-wide wireless internet system, West Palm Beach continues to be at the forefront of using technology to make our City a better place,” said Mayor Lois J. Frankel.

“This year’s winners have really raised the bar for cities,” said Cathilea Robinett, executive director for the Center for Digital Government. “Digital technology connects citizens with their government on a level never before achieved.”  Criteria examined for the study included the ability to pay utility bills, parking fees and traffic citations online; the online availability of meeting minutes from city governing bodies; and the adoption or pursuit of wireless infrastructure in public spaces.

City of West Palm Beach efforts to use technology to improve service delivery to residents include: “E-Gov Plus,” a one-stop-shop for construction, code and property information; the live streaming of the City government access station, West Palm TV, on wpb.org; and, the launching of CityConnect, an electronic newsletter to keep residents informed of City programs, events and issues via email.