Dutchess County Government Nationally Honored for Redesigned DutchessNY.gov

Dutchess County Government Nationally
Honored for Redesigned DutchessNY.gov

Poughkeepsie … County Executive Marc Molinaro announced Dutchess County Government has again been nationally recognized for its use of technology to improve how government connects with citizens. Dutchess County’s recently redesigned DutchessNY.gov website has been honored with a 2019 Government Experience Award from the Center for Digital Government. The completely overhauled new website launched in February this year and is easier to access across devices and incorporates innovative accessibility tools to help residents and visitors of all abilities quickly find the information they need.

County Executive Molinaro said, “We have received a lot of positive feedback, both from County employees and residents, that our website is more intuitive, functional, and efficient. This award recognizes our ongoing efforts to improve how we interact with residents and visitors of every ability and the high priority we put on ensuring everyone can quickly and easily find what they are looking for. The entire staff at OCIS is to be commended for their commitment to providing high quality technology resources.”

The Government Experience Awards, now in its third year, highlight government agencies that are using the web and beyond to improve the experience of government and push the boundaries of how citizen services are delivered. Dutchess County was among only five other counties across the nation to receive an Overall County Government Experience Award. The DutchessNY.gov website was recognized for its focus on accessibility and improved engagement through its predictive search engine, intuitive design, and innovative use of a fully-integrated web-based accessibility tool, ReciteMe, which allows visitors to customize the site to meet their needs. Dutchess County is the first county in the United States to utilize this tool.

“This year’s results are evidence that state and local government agencies are continuing to grow the sophistication of their digital experiences,” said Dustin Haisler, Chief Innovation Officer for the Center for Digital Government. “The Government Experience Award winners from this year are not just leveraging innovative tools like chatbots to amplify their reach, they are also going the extra mile to build a proper foundation to support the future and ensure citizens get the right information at the right time.”

Dutchess County has been continuously recognized on the national level for its technological innovation, earning the No.1 ranking in the nation, among mid-size county governments, in the Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) annual Digital Counties Survey two years in a row and ranked in the top 10 in the nation for all 17 years the survey has been conducted.

Glenn Marchi, PhD, the County’s Commissioner of OCIS, said, “Dutchess County Government continues to set the standard for quality technology and innovation, with our efforts consistently garnering national acclaim. This most recent recognition celebrates the months of team collaboration and hard work that went into redesigning the website. We will continue to provide technology resources that improve services and boost efficiencies to better serve Dutchess County residents.”