City web site recognized among nation's ten best

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2009

For more information, lease contact:

Rick Dietz, Director of Information Technology Services Department, City of Bloomington, 349-3485, dietzr@bloomington.in.gov
Danny Lopez, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349-CITY, lopezd@bloomington.in.gov

Bloomington, IN - The City of Bloomington has been recognized for having one of the most progressive and innovative municipal web sites in the country by the Center for Digital Government (CDG), a national research institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. ([http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/survey/88|http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/survey/88])

The CDG, which ranked Bloomington among other larger cities such as Boulder, Louisville and Tampa, analyzed sites for accessibility of information, efficiency, ease of use and exceptional service to public. Thousands of cities participated, with only 10 being selected as finalists. City Information and Technology Services Department Director Rick Dietz attributed the recognition to the website's Open Source foundation, innovative core features, and the City's ongoing commitment to the site's enhancement.

"Our top priority has always been having a feature-rich, user-friendly, highly informative site that gives residents and visitors an opportunity to explore the many programs and services available to the community," said Dietz. "We are continually updating the information on our site and incorporating new tools to help us better connect with the public."

The site, [http://bloomington.in.gov|http://bloomington.in.gov], includes individual departmental pages with area-specific programs and services; news and updates; City events calendars; RSS feeds; interactive GIS maps; information on recycling and trash pickup; specific business incentives available through the City and the State of Indiana; messages from department directors; blogs from City staff; videos and photo galleries of events and speeches; information on public safety; maps of the City and a myBloomington function, which allows users to find important municipal information by inputting their home addresses.

For more information, please visit the web site or contact Dietz at 349-3485.

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