Mayor Kerry Thomson

Page last updated on June 7, 2023 at 6:09 pm

Mission

  1. Help departments increase organizational effectiveness.

  2. Create a culture of collaboration and innovation.

  3. Help departments prepare for future needs.


The Office of Innovation was created by the Innovation Task Force, a group convened in March of 2016 and comprised of folks in City government, local stakeholders, and representatives from the City Council. The task force's mission was to identify steps the city could take to make city government more efficient, tackle innovative projects, and improve public engagement.

Per the task force's recommendation, the Office of Innovation was created to do that and its first Director was hired at the end of 2016. The office is charged with spurring innovation across City Hall by providing support, guidance and resources to folks with big ideas about how to make government work better. A primary responsibility of the office is also to anticipate how technological advances might intersect with City services and functions to support the City in being nimble and adaptive to future needs.

 

Annual Innovation Celebration

Starting in 2020 when the Innovation Roadmap was presented, we have gathered with our colleagues (virtually in 2021 and 2022) to celebrate the creative ways City employees are improving processes, contributing to a culture of innovation, and preparing our city for the future. Visit the innovation celebration web page to see the program for this year's event and links to recordings of past events.

 

Active Civic Collaboration Projects

Equitable Creation and Maintenance of Sidewalks: Read about the 2022-2023 effort to reimagine the City's sidewalk management strategy. and the seven project ideas that were selected to support the vision of "All sidewalks, always navigable, for everyone."

 

Past Civic Collaboration Projects

1,000 Households Who Mulch: Read about the 2020-2021 to reimagine the City's leaf management strategy.

 

Samples and Examples

Creative improvements and transformational ideas did not begin with the Office of Innovation! Visit the Innovation Success Stories page for examples of how City staff from nearly every department have been making creative decisions and solving problems in new ways.