The City of Austin is renowned as an early adopter in civic IT innovation, leading with initiatives in the open data movement, civic hacking and more. The group of civil servants advancing this work is known as Citywide Information Technology (IT), a diverse collaboration of information technology professionals from across the City of Austin, including: Austin Convention Center, Austin Energy, Austin Fire Department, Austin Police Department, Austin Public Health, Austin Public Library, Austin Water Utility, Austin Watershed Protection, Aviation, Communications and Technology Management, Development Services Department, Emergency Medical Services, Financial Services Department, Information Security, Human Resources Department, Municipal Court and Public Works. From managing day-to-day technology needs, to operating network infrastructure, Citywide IT powers the technology that makes the City of Austin work.

Led by Chief Information Officer Stephen Elkins, Citywide IT offers expertise and strategic vision to ensure efficient distribution of resources. Under his leadership, Elkins instituted IT Governance, a framework and ideology for an informed, transparent decision-making process. The result is an innovative and efficient delivery of technology throughout the City of Austin, improving municipal services for residents and visitors alike. Currently, Elkins leads the City’s adoption of Smart Cities technologies, including electronic timekeeping, a redesign of the City’s public website, and improved cyber-security tools.  He also oversees the support of regional public-safety technology partnerships, ensuring interoperability of communications and IT systems and the coordination of emergency response efforts. In the coming year, Citywide IT will continue to lead innovative initiatives by supporting the vision and strategies established in the City of Austin Strategic Direction 2023.

Making for a banner year, Citywide IT advanced critical work in managing technology infrastructure and delivering services for residents.

· Austin Police Department: Deployed more than 600 body-worn cameras for police officers as a crucial part of the APD’s commitment to enhancing accountability, openness and transparency.

· Austin Energy: Upgraded the utility’s Storm Center with mobile alerts, making it easier for customers to get power outage updates in real time.

· Austin Public Health: Implemented electronic health records, transitioning health clinics to paperless operations, improving efficiency and collaboration with community health partners.

· EMS: Deployed an analytics solution that uses service history to track emergency service trends, improving service delivery when every second counts.

· Austin Library: Grand opening of the new Central Library with advanced digital integration, including loanable laptops, advanced A/V for meeting spaces, Wi-Fi connectivity and more.

· Public Works: Launched the Sidewalk Program Interactive Project Map and Street Preventative Maintenance Annual Service Plan Map to engage residents in ongoing street and sidewalk projects.