Not more than 10 years ago, the City of Hudson government was largely paper-dependent, often requiring citizens to come into our offices to fill out forms, pay utilities, and sign up for programs. Over the years, Hudson has increased its focus on technology to make City government more transparent and easier to access for everyone. Now residents can access and interact with City government from their computers and mobile devices.
Need to pay a utility bill? Simply go to the City’s website. Putting up a fence? Apply for a permit online. Emergency vehicles can travel through traffic faster with traffic pre-emption technology. Potholes and other issues can be reported with a simple click on a mobile phone app. Want to know when your street is scheduled to be paved? Visit the interactive maps on the web.
“Using technology is vital to providing better, easier to access quality services in real-time for our residents and businesses,” said Jane Howington, Hudson City Manager. “Hudson has received widespread acclaim for partnering with local schools and community organizations to use technology to address challenges facing municipal governments. However, it’s not about the acclaim, it’s about continuing to find ways to provide quality services to our residents in the most fiscally responsible manner.”
For the City’s focus on innovation, Hudson was named a Top 7 Intelligent Community by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) this year. As part of that recognition, Hudson was asked to speak at the Global Summit 2019 in New York City. Hudson joined the other communities in the Top 7, which included Chicago, Illinois; Toayuan, Taiwan; and Westerville, Ohio, among others.
“Partnering with our educational institutions and businesses has created opportunities for better services for the community and has enhanced our business development efforts,” said Howington. “We are proud to be recognized for collaborating with community organizations to position Hudson for the future.”
In addition to participating in roundtable discussions and networking with communities worldwide, Paul Leedham, Hudson’s Innovation Officer, gave a presentation on technology shifts and the influence of today’s tech giants and the way they affect the way municipal governments do business.
“It was a valuable experience. We came back with many new ideas from other cities to help solve community challenges,” said Howington. "The Global Summit provided us with input from other communities and experts about collecting and using big data to improve city services, how to better use technology and community partnerships to enhance services, and how entrepreneurial reinvestment is creating opportunities for communities, among other topics."
As part of Hudson’s economic development efforts, representatives also met with 13 global companies and investment firms that wanted to discuss potential technology partnerships and participation in the City of Hudson.