Scottsdale, a city known for its upmarket spa resorts and golf courses, has now bagged the 2024 Voice of the People (VOP) Award for Excellence in Online Engagement for the second consecutive year, making it clear that this Arizona city isn't just about leisure, it's also about leading in listening to its residents. According to Scottsdale's official news release , the VOP Awards are a unique national recognition, celebrating local governments that excel in incorporating public input, performance, and data into their decision-making process.

In a bid to keep the lines of communication open with its constituents, Scottsdale has rolled out various online engagement tools. Among these tools are the Speak Up Scottsdale platform where residents provide feedback on city issues, and Hello Scottsdale, a service enabling incoming messages via text/SMS, as detailed by the City of Scottsdale . Their public involvement team is dedicated to continually exploring new methods of engagement, with regular evaluations of innovative tools. The city understands that such engagement is crucial, for it fuels trust in government and ensures that a diversity of voices is heard when it comes to community matters.

Social media presence also plays a vital role in their engagement strategy, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, Nextdoor, and LinkedIn acting as conduits for dialogue between the community and local government, as per the City of Scottsdale . Alongside these, Pollco expands engagement through questionnaires, polls, and other avenues for online feedback.

The VOP Awards, presented by Polco and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), feature categories spanning a range of community aspects including health and wellness, mobility, education, and more. Scores of cities compete but few can claim the consistent recognition that Scottsdale has achieved. Polco, known for its technology aimed at boosting community engagement and civic analytics, announced this year's full list of winners at the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, the City of Scottsdale stated.