March 15, 2013

Sunshine Review, a non-profit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency, recognized phoenix.gov with a 2013 Sunny Award for the content it provides to residents.  Phoenix has won this award four years in a row, and is one of only 247 jurisdictions to be recognized out of 1,000 qualifying websites reviewed.

“The Sunny Awards recognize governments that make transparency a priority. The winners of the Sunny Awards are cities, counties and school districts that proactively share the public information that empowers citizens and keeps government accountable to the people,” said Michael Barnhart, president of Sunshine Review.

Sunshine Review uses a 10-point “transparency checklist” to measure government websites on what they provide against what should be provided.  Phoenix’s website was recognized for the availability of information on budget, taxes, elected officials, audit reports, public meetings, public records, and building and zoning.

"It is great to once again have this third-party acknowledgement that the city's website continues to offer residents a clear view inside City Hall," said Vice Mayor Bill Gates, chair of the City Council Finance, Efficiency and Economy Subcommittee.  "In the months to come, we will explore new ways to utilize technology and the web to become a model of transparency."

Since its inception in 2008, Sunshine Review has analyzed the websites of all 50 states and 6,000 local governments, including counties, cities and school districts, and has given out 613 Sunny Awards since 2010.   The organization announces the awards every March during “Sunshine Week,” a period nationally recognized by hundreds of media and civic organizations, which celebrates the efforts of activists and the strides taken towards open government.

“Receiving this recognition for a fourth year in a row means our efforts to continuously improve phoenix.gov are paying off,” said City Manager David Cavazos.  “In addition to making more city information available online, we soon will be making it easier for our customers to access it anytime, anywhere, on any device.”

Oversight of phoenix.gov is a partnership of the Phoenix Public Information Office and Information Technology Services.  For more information about the city’s website, visit phoenix.gov/pio.  More information about Sunshine Review and the Sunny Awards is available at sunshinereview.org.
 

Media Contact:

• E-mail
• Print