County rises to No. 7 spot in National Survey of Best Technology Practices

The Board of Supervisors’ efforts to make innovation in pursuit of public service a top priority is having a national impact.

San Bernardino County rose three spots from last year to be ranked No. 7 in best technology practices among the 50 largest U.S. counties in a nationwide survey by the Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo).

CDG is a national research organization that seeks to highlight digital best practices that ultimately streamline government services, implement data-driven decision-making, boost cybersecurity and adopt emerging technologies.

Each year, CDG partners with NACo, an organization dedicated to advocating for the work done by the nation’s more than 3,000 counties, to present the Digital Counties Survey, which recognizes county governments that employ innovative technology practices, enabling them to communicate more efficiently with constituents.

“We are thrilled to be continually recognized as one of the top counties in the nation for advancing technology to improve government services,” said Supervisor Dawn Rowe, chair of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. “I would like to thank Chief Information Officer Lynn Fyhrlund and his team for their visionary national leadership and commitment to excellence in public service.”

This year, San Bernardino County solidified seventh place in the one million or more population category for its progress toward systems replacements. This project resulted in the launch of the county’s award-winning newly designed website, reflecting a consistent appearance among the county’s 42 departments. The new website template also features a universal events calendar and access to News Now, the county’s monthly video news program.

Another systems replacement project included working with the county’s Human Resources Department to update job classifications and training programs, which resulted in dozens of new hires and promotions for 60 internal staff members. Additionally, the county’s Department of Public Works partnered with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to experiment with real-time GPS data from snowplows to better manage operations during the winter snowstorms in the San Bernardino mountains. Finally, the Assessor-Recorder Clerk purchased a high-tech equipped RV to expand access to vital records and marriage licenses into communities.

“We are so proud to have CDG and NACo recognize our efforts towards digitalizing imperative services,” said Fyhrlund. “It’s also very gratifying to see our county rise from being ranked No. 10 in best technology practices in previous years to now being ranked No. 7 this year. Our goal is to continue to identify areas that can benefit from new technologies to improve public service and enhance the user experience.”

Following the announcement of this year’s winners, the top 10 counties participated in an awards ceremony during the NACo Annual Conference on Friday, July 21 in Texas.

For more information about the county’s efforts to enhance technology and innovation, visit https://wp.sbcounty.gov/it/.

Additional County Update News – August 18, 2023