Carson 2nd among 'digital cities'

Carson City has received national recognition as a "Top Ranked Digital City Government."

The city finished second in its size category of cities between 30,000 and 74,999, in a survey conducted by Center for Digital Government. The Center is a national research and advisory institute which focuses on information technology policies and best practices.

"There is a lot of willingness within the city to implement technology solutions. A lot of departments are involved, like the library, which has done a lot of neat stuff with technology and their RFID (radio frequency identification) book checkout system," said John Wilkinson, information technology director for the city.

"As we lose staffing, we try to make it up with better technology," he said.

Wilkinson said Carson City's high ranking was due to several dozen technology initiatives in addition to the library changes.

This is the second time Carson City has been recognized as a Top Ranked Digital City Government. The city finished seventh in 2010.

Wilkinson is very competitive, however, and hopes to bring home a first place next year.

"You just don't know what's out there. My previous city of Pueblo, Colo., came in first last year, but this year's first place, Eden Prairie, Minn., came out of nowhere," he said.

Todd Sander, the center's director of digital communities, explained in a statement why digital technology is so important today.

"Cities that are investing in technology are capturing cost savings that are critical to continuity of operations and their ability to meet higher demand for services," Sander said.

"The highest-ranking cities in the survey showed great strides in consolidating, enabling shared services, government transparency and communications interoperability," he said. "We applaud these innovators as they work in the spirit of collaboration to provide extraordinary value to constituents despite budget setbacks."