100 Years of Innovation at the 2024 NLC City Summit
November 21, 2024 by Beth Amann
The 2024 National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit in Tampa, Florida, marked a significant milestone in the organization’s history as it celebrated 100 years of advancing innovation and collaboration among cities, towns, and villages across the United States. The event brought together local government leaders, industry experts, and technology partners, including Tyler Technologies, a capstone partner of NLC, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.
100 Years of Innovation in Cities
For a century, the National League of Cities has been a champion of best practices, next practices, and innovation in local governance. As NLC President David Sander, mayor of Rancho Cordova, California, emphasized, “Cities are the laboratories of democracy,” where ideas are tested and refined for broader implementation.
Throughout its history, NLC has empowered local governments to lead on issues such as modernization, resident engagement, and economic development. Tyler Technologies has proudly supported this mission, partnering with NLC to provide innovative technology solutions that streamline back-end operations and improve the resident experience.
The Present — Leaning Into Modernization and Technology
Local governments at the City Summit were clear: innovation is no longer optional. To remain effective and responsive, cities must embrace modernization and emerging technologies. The conference set a record with more than 4,000 attendees — many of whom are Tyler clients — showcasing a shared commitment to progress.
One of the innovative uses of technology explored at the City Summit was priority-based budgeting. In the session, “Modernizing Budgeting: A Shift to Priority-Based Budgeting,” Tyler’s Chris Fabian shared how this approach, powered by AI and machine learning, helps local governments align resources with community needs, quickly adapt to change, and fund priorities effectively. Mayors and council members alike expressed the need to optimize their budget to better serve residents. AI-powered solutions like the one discussed in this session can both free up staff for more important tasks and give residents a better outcome from their tax dollars.
The Future — Cities Poised for Transformation
The City Summit made it clear that the future of cities lies in their ability to adapt and innovate. Emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, hold transformative potential for local governments.
Cities must “prepare employees to accept innovative technology” while putting protocols in place for acting responsibly. While AI is already being leveraged in areas like property assessment, document processing, and resource allocation, session speakers noted that the potential of its computational power is only beginning to be understood.
Partnerships with private sector leaders like Tyler will continue to play a critical role in helping cities modernize infrastructure, improve services, and navigate the evolving challenges of governance in the digital age.