Excellence 2024: Data & Transparency Solutions
November 18, 2024 by Craig Patton
It’s all about the data. Public sector organizations require access to accurate, timely information to best serve their communities. Future-focused leaders know that a thorough IT strategy and deploying modern systems can dramatically increase efficiency, foster collaboration, and expand both resident engagement and trust. Unlocking data through 24/7/365 cloud-based access is key to achieving those goals. Dismantling informational silos across departments creates a single source of data — a critical prerequisite for improved service delivery, decision-making, and transparency.
Celebrating Excellence in Data & Transparency
Innovative organizations across the country are meeting the data and transparency challenge using solutions from Tyler Technologies. Tyler created the Tyler Excellence Awards to celebrate these inspirational successes. Let’s close out the year by once again recognizing recipients of the 2024 awards for Data & Transparency, announced earlier this year at the annual Tyler Connect conference.
Kansas Department of Revenue
The Kansas Department of Revenue’s Property Valuation Division sought more efficient ways to use the data collected and reported from the statewide computer-assisted mass appraisal system. Adding Assessment Connect to the statewide implementation of Assessment & Tax Pro provided a host of benefits. They automated collection and aggregation of appraisal data for 105 counties across the state, making it faster and easier to access and respond to data requests. The new solution provided easy access to commercial and residential comparable property and sales data. More than 50 new metrics and reports were added, providing analytical tools for county and state officials. In addition, public transparency increased through the Open Data portal.
David Harper, director of KDOR’s Property Valuation Division, says, “With all our data consolidated into one centralized hub, the potential for enhancing transparency with the public and legislature is boundless. It’s like laying a solid foundation here, opening up a multitude of possibilities for the future.”
Midland County, Texas
The Midland County Pretrial Services Department grappled with a case management system rife with discontinuations and lacking automation and essential updates, which affected public service delivery. Among the challenges were insufficient platform and database features, difficulty tracking outcomes, and looming obsolescence. The outdated system hindered essential integrations with courts, jails, and associated agencies.
In response, the department implemented Tyler’s Enterprise Supervision. Midland County’s transition to the platform was more than an upgrade. It provided a pivotal opportunity to enhance its operational capabilities. The benefits include an almost 300% increase in the number of defendants managed monthly, as well as improved data quality and management across integrated systems.
IT Project & Infrastructure Manager Justin Stephenson says, “And that’s going to be a huge win for us because now it’s going to benefit all the departments of having everything, the data flow automatically instead of a manual process which creates errors.”
Laredo Police Department, Texas
The Laredo Police Department in Texas needed to elevate its processes to improve policing and save time on all investigations. Their existing systems only allowed officers to view information in a raw data format, which slowed their ability to identify crime trends and create action plans in response.
To mitigate these issues, the department migrated to the cloud, implemented Enterprise Public Safety, and used Enterprise Law Enforcement Records. The digitization resulted in three workdays of time saved per investigation, decreased firearm-related incidents in a targeted area, and increased the department’s ability to identify dangerous stretches of road and direct action to improve safety.
Officer Stephen Garza says, “The agency can focus on more research and try to visualize incoming issues ahead of us, allowing us to practice proactive policing.”