The 2018 Civic Innovation Challenge

The 2018 Civic Innovation Challenge

[VIDEO] In August of 2018, we hosted the City of Syracuse’s first annual Civic Innovation Challenge! Five City employees pitched ideas to address challenges to a panel of judges, and two were selected as winners. Watch the video below to learn about the winning projects…

Performance Management

Performance Management

We are excited to announce that the City of Syracuse is launching a new Performance Management Program. This is a program that allows the entire organization to create alignment and work together to achieve shared goals. We call these goals objectives and key results, and the Performance Management Program utilizes an agile approach to monitor our progress towards them.

Financial Operations Tiger Team

Financial Operations Tiger Team

Currently at the City, there are over 100 fiscal staff enterprise-wide, including 35 employees assigned within individual departments. This decentralization can cause inefficiencies and inconsistencies in our financial operations and is regularly cited as a weakness in our annual audit. To help address the challenges that come with this structure, today, the City of Syracuse is launching a financial operations pilot project.

e-Permits: Jump Out Of Line, Get Your Permit On Time!

 e-Permits: Jump Out Of Line, Get Your Permit On Time!

In August we hosted our first ideas competition called the Civic Innovation Challenge. Approximately twenty ideas were submitted by employees to improve City operations. As part of the competition, entrants had to explain how their idea related to the City’s guiding principles and objectives. One of the winning ideas is to institute electronic permit applications…

Behavioral Science & Police Civic Engagement

Behavioral Science & Police Civic Engagement

On Wednesday, June 6th, and Thursday, June 7th, the Syracuse Police Department hosted public forums on police body cameras. The forums, held at the Onondaga County Public Library on South Salina Street, were led by Detective Mark Russin, and focused on community concerns regarding the use of body cameras and their footage. But behind the scenes, a different kind of assessment was being conducted: A behavioral insights trial…

Healthy Housing 101

Healthy Housing 101

[VIDEO] On June 15th, the City of Syracuse Division of Code Enforcement hosted Healthy Housing 101, an event held to teach local residents and service providers how to spot code violations in homes. Our code inspectors reviewed what to look for in homes--mold, infestations, unsafe staircases--as well as who citizens can contact when they have an issue getting problems fixed.

Upstate Data Summit

Upstate Data Summit

[VIDEO] On June 6th, Mark Headd, in partnership with Syracuse University’s iSchool, organized and hosted the first-ever Upstate Data Summit, a conference of data officers and analysts from across upstate New York. At the conference, public data and innovation professionals held panels on how cities including Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, and Binghamton can efficiently gather and use data to improve everything from housing safety to road & sidewalk repair.