Mayor Scott allocates $3.2M in ARPA funds to digital services, performance management
BALTIMORE -- Mayor Brandon Scott said Wednesday he is allocating $3.2 million of the city's American Rescue Plan dollars toward creating more accessible digital tools for residents and improving how the performance of city agencies is monitored.
A total of $2.1 million will be used to create Baltimore Digital, a team that will make sure city websites and online tools are more accessible and easier to use. Chief Data Officer Justin Elszasz will oversee the initiative.
"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."
Another $1.1 million will establish a City Performance Team under the Mayor's Office of Performance & Innovation. In addition to streamlining data collected for CitiStat, which tracks the performance of municipal agencies, and the city's budget book, the team will ensure metrics are "meaningful and accurate" ways to track city services.
"I am truly excited about this investment, which I know will be essential in bringing innovative services and support to city residents," said 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."
Baltimore received $641 million under the American Rescue Plan, a federal relief package to offset the public health costs and negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
