Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Chris Fabian, senior director of product strategy, ERP Budgeting and Cate Ryba, director of resident engagement, both at Tyler Technologies. Connect with Chris or Cate on LinkedIn.
What we’re reading: “Genesis” by Eric Schmidt, Mundie and Kissinger (Chris) and “Abundance” by Ezra Klein (Cate)
What we’re listening to: Andrej Karpathy’s “Software in the Era of AI” (Chris) and “Pivot” with Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway (Cate)
What we’re working on: An updated philosophy on the purpose and design of the General Fund (Chris). Integrating AI tools into the resident engagement experience (Cate).
Ask someone to define “resilience” and they might say it’s the ability to withstand and bounce back from stress. Rubber bands? Resilient. Tissue paper? Not so much. One is designed with resilience in mind. The other breaks under minimal stress.
Like rubber bands, resilient governments are designed to bend — not break — under pressure. Agencies constantly assess and prepare for disruptions to the communities they serve. Major weather events, power grid vulnerabilities, and economic shifts are just a few of the possibilities. In response, information technology leaders seek modern technology solutions with enhanced security, proven stability, and the ability to scale during peak demand periods.
Every community, no matter its size or location, needs greater resilience.
Mobile Apps as a Resilience Strategy
Mobile phones are an essential technology in modern life. More than 97% of U.S. residents have them. During a weather event or other emergency, agencies can use apps to notify residents in real-time of road closures, power outages, shelter locations, and other critical information. Mobile apps also make it easy for agencies to provide updates on public projects, notices of upcoming events, and more. In a world where residents use their phones for everything from ordering food to making appointments, they expect the same mobile-oriented, seamless experience when using government systems.
In addition to improving the resident experience, government agencies that develop and release mobile apps increase efficiency. Residents can conduct much of their business with agencies online, reducing the lines at offices as well as the volume of calls. Staff are free to assist those with more complex needs or focus on other tasks. Leading agencies are also using mobile apps to receive information from residents, improving agency response by providing non-emergency services, such as pothole repair. Collecting information from residents also allows local governments to use that data as they consider policy changes, infrastructure investments, or the effectiveness of programs or initiatives.
There are endless reasons and benefits to modernizing technology systems. But even the best ideas require funding to become reality.
Creating Resilient Budgets
Unfortunately, budgets are tighter than ever, and today’s leaders need better strategies than slashing services or raising taxes.
Priority-based budgeting offers a potent alternative. By using this methodology, local government leaders can bridge budget deficits, redirect funds when traditional sources falter, and find funding for emerging priorities. But navigating complex budgets needs more than just a shift in strategy; it requires clearer insights and faster decision-making. Innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can support this process.
AI-enabled priority-based budgeting tools can transform a line-item budget into a clear map showing all services offered, their true costs, and their alignment — or lack thereof — with strategic priorities. Most critically, modern priority-based budgeting tools deliver immediate, actionable insights on how to save money, generate revenue, and rethink funding models.
Imagine having a playbook for every program — one that offers strategic guidance to tap different funding sources, leverage community partners, and increase efficiency. As governments grapple with urgent pressures, priority-based budgeting combined with AI offers the speed and intelligence that make it an essential resilience tool: transforming budgeting to develop readily available resources.
Inspiration for the Journey
Across the country, agencies are leading the way in building more resilient communities by aligning resources with priorities and embracing resident-focused technology. Los Angeles County and Buckeye, Arizona, are just two examples of how local governments are turning strategy into impact.
- Under its Data Driven Budgeting initiative, Los Angeles County, California, is using priority-based budgeting to maximize its resources to advance strategic priorities and strengthen fiscal resilience. By enriching the budgeting process with intelligence and program analytics, it empowers county leadership to not only balance their budgets, but to re-balance their priorities, re-imagine funding models, and redeploy resources for greater impact.
- In Buckeye, Arizona, mobile apps empower residents to pay utility bills, apply for permits and licenses, and make non-emergency service requests. Staff can then respond to, document, and resolve the reported issues in real time, connecting residents and government as partners to improve transparency and efficiency in their community.
For more on how cloud, data, and AI help governments stay strong before, during, and after disruption, check out the e-book, “Resilient by Design: How Technology Supports Government.”
Working Together for a Resilient Future
New challenges will always emerge. By investing in modern tools and smarter strategies, such as priority-based budgeting and mobile apps, local communities can anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from future disruptions.