The city of Baltimore, MD will invest $3.2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to modernize technology and improve the performance and equity of its municipal services.
The modernization project will include two new programs:
- $2.1 million will be used to create Baltimore Digital – an office tasked with improving access to city services by developing tools that are “simpler, cheaper, and more quickly deployed than traditional IT projects.” The office will be led by Baltimore Chief Data Officer Justin Elszasz.
“As part of Mayor Scott’s commitment to modernizing government and providing excellent customer service to constituents, Baltimore Digital will play a critical role in centering residents and their needs in building and buying technology” said Elszasz. “This is ultimately about creating pathways to improve the delivery of core city services and bringing the City in line with established best practices in civic technology. As the Mayor’s Chief Data Officer, I am incredibly excited about the potential this effort has to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of our residents.”
- $1.1 million will be used to create the second new program – a City Performance Team housed in the Mayor’s Office of Performance & Innovation. It will have the responsibility of building “a more holistic and comprehensive approach to performance management” that will “streamline measures collected for existing processes such as the budget book, CitiStat, and the Mayor’s Action Plan.”
“I am truly excited about this investment, which I know will be essential in bringing innovative services and support to city residents,” said Mayor Brandon Scott. “Since taking office, one of my main goals has been to ensure our City government is operating in the most up-to-date fashion and at optimal efficiency. This investment will help enhance our performance and, ultimately, allow us to move ever closer towards the state-of-the-art government that our residents deserve.”