Giving Compass' Take:

• CityGrows, a workflow automation platform for local governments, released its 2020 U.S. Remote Government Preparedness Index to understand which mid-sized cities are fully digitized. 

• The report indicated that only four percent of mid-sized cities offer online access for crucial services in urban areas. How can donors help direct charitable dollars to cities lacking access?

• Read why operating digitally is critical to addressing issues brought on by COVID-19. 

CityGrows, a workflow automation platform for local governments, released its 2020 U.S. Remote Government Preparedness Index to assess how mid-sized cities are transitioning to digital services — and which communities are leading the the trend.

The report analyzed how 822 U.S. communities have digitized six key services: 311/constituent service requests; boards and commission applications; dog licensing; business licensing; building permits and special event permits. The research found only eight mid-sized governments (4%) offer online access to all six services: Alexandria, VA; Arvada, CO; Cambridge, MA; Castle Rock, CO; Centennial, CO; Everett, WA; Oak Park, IL and Provo, UT.

CityGrows hopes that publicizing this data — especially as local governments issue stay-at-home mandates and move operations online — will give cities clarity on where they stand with current digital services and how they can improve services throughout 2020.

The release of this report comes at an interesting time, as local governments nationwide have shut down various department buildings and mandated residents stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19. Despite moves to temporarily waive bills and fees in some cities, many residents and businesses still need assistance from city officials while on lock-down, which will likely become a growing challenge for cities that have not yet prioritized digital services.

"There's a big divide between if you had those systems in place before [the COVID-19 outbreak] and if you didn't," Geanuracos said. "Over the next few months, as we are transitioning into this different way of working in an indefinite fashion, we feel that the governments that are able to transition those systems quickly are going to be able to have better continuity of service."

Read the full article about digitized cities by Kristin Musulin at Smart Cities Dive.