Arlington Recognized Nationally for Being One
of the Best American Cities at Using Data and
Evidence to Respond Effectively to Local
Challenges - (Cont. page 1)
“Since achieving Silver Certification in 2019, we have been working tirelessly to build
upon our city’s record when it comes to transparency and putting data and evidence
at the center of our decision-making,” City Manager Trey Yelverton said. “We are
thrilled to be leveling up to the Gold Certification this year, and we remain committed
to continue investing in technology, processes and policies that create a stronger,
smarter local government for our residents and businesses.”
Data is behind the City’s decisions both large and small - from tracking which books
and materials library patrons check out the most to help guide future investments in
the library’s collection all the way to high-tech scans of streets and sanitary sewer
mains to prioritize the most critical repairs.
We also believe our city is strongest when we engage and empower residents as part
of our quest to put technology to work. That’s why Arlington is proud of the data
Arlington Water
Utilities Alerts Help
Residents Save
Water and Money
“We have been working
tirelessly to build upon our
city’s record when it comes to
transparency and putting data
and evidence at the center of
our decision-making.”
-Tre y Yelvert on
engagement opportunities it offers,
which include: The Your City at Work
performance dashboard to further
allow residents to see their tax dollars
at work. Grouped by City Council
Priorities and Core Services, the
dashboard displays real-time data on
city programs and service performance
measures on city services.
As a reminder, more than 70 percent of
Arlington Water Utilities customers who
responded to a recent survey about a
high usage/high bill alert they received
from the utility, said it motivated them
to check for a possible leak or change
their behavior to use less water. This
summer, the water department is using
the results of two recent email surveys
about high bill/high usage alerts and
continuous usage alerts to improve
service.
The alert systems let customers set a
threshold for how much water they
expect to use or how much they expect
to spend on their water bill during the
month. Then, an email is sent
automatically to warn customers if they
are on pace to exceed their desired
threshold. The alerts thresholds can be
adjusted or even turned off at any time
by the customer.
More than 80 percent of respondents
who received a continuous usage alert,
found and fixed a leak or other
unintended water use.