Back

Austin named Code for America finalist

The City of Austin has been named a finalist by Code for America, an innovative non-profit that recruits top technology talents to build cutting-edge web applications for municipal governments.

The City’s Communications and Technology Management Department and Public Information Office partnered to apply for the 2012 program, with proposals related to the development of municipal government based website modules and a “community gaming” platform to gather resident input and promote public education.

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell applauded the effort and joined the call for web developers, designers and product managers to apply for 2012 Code for America Fellowships. “I think it would be good if Austin could work with Code for America fellows and create new applications for our community,” he said. “I know Austin’s tech community will be very interested in the Fellowship program – it’s a great opportunity.”

“Our selection shows we are on the right track with our goals for communications technology, transparency and community participation,” said Leffingwell.

The announcement follows the City’s implementation of Austin Finance Online, SpeakUpAustin and a new One Stop Shop for the Austin development community earlier this year. The Citywide website redesign, AustinGO, is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

“Being a best managed City means capturing the ideas and talents of the best people in the country. Code for America presents a unique opportunity to draw from talent around the nation, dedicated to improving local government service delivery,” said Austin City Manager Marc Ott. “It's an honor to be considered as a finalist.”

If Austin is selected to receive fellowship support, Austin City Council voted to help fund the fellowship at it’s May 26 meeting. Staff would work closely with Code for America to gather requirements for the project and implement it on the City website when it is complete.

“One promising aspect of the program is to join the best thinking from the web industry with the best thinking from cities,” said Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America.

Code for America is now accepting applications for its 2012 Fellowship, based out of San Francisco, California. Web developers, designers, and product managers from across the country are invited to apply for the 11-month program to build the next generation of Gov 2.0 apps for city governments. Selected fellows will receive a living-wage stipend, travel expenses, healthcare, and the training and support to be positioned as a leader in business, public service, or both. The deadline for applications is July 31. codeforamerica.org/fellows

Code for America, a non-profit loosely based on Teach for America, recruits the top talent from the technology industry to give a year of service to build innovative web applications for city governments. Through a competitive process, Code for America chooses cities whose proposals reflected a deep understanding of the power that technology can bring to cities. The 2012 Fellows will build on the success of Code for America’s inaugural projects in Boston, Philadelphia , and Seattle. For the 2012 program, over twenty governments applied, and Austin is just one of 10 selected as a finalist.

Contact:
City of Austin, Texas, Communications and Public Information Office, 512-974-2220
Code for America, Abhi Nemani, Director of Strategy and Communications abhi@codeforamerica.org,  415-625-9632

About Code for America
Code for America (CfA) connects the talent of the tech industry with local governments to make cities more open, responsive, and efficient. Inspired in part by Teach for America, CfA recruits civic-minded, tech-savvy individuals to work with industry and governmental leaders to develop innovative applications that can be used in cities across the country. http://codeforamerica.org

Posted: 10:39 AM August 16, 2011