In the heart of the Midwest, Iowa City stands as a vibrant, dynamic community, home to 75,000 residents and the prestigious University of Iowa. Recognized as a UNESCO City of Literature, Iowa City combines a rich cultural scene with a commitment to progressive values, including racial equality, social justice, and climate action. This forward-thinking approach extends to its municipal services, which led the city to partner with GOGov to enhance communication and efficiency. The result is a more connected, responsive, and engaged community, leveraging technology to meet the evolving needs of its residents.

About Iowa City

Iowa City, Iowa is a town and gown community of about 75,000 residents. Located in the Midwest, Iowa City is home to the Big 10 University of Iowa Hawkeyes (yes, that’s Caitlin Clark territory!) and is a UNESCO City of Literature. This vibrant city also serves as the county seat. Iowa City offers an active arts and culture scene, as well as a world-renowned research hospital bringing visitors from around the world. The city is dedicated towards a progressive strategic plan that prioritizes racial equality, social justice, human rights, climate action, and partnerships and engagement. These are all pillars that value an environment that is safe, welcoming, and focused on preparing now for a bright and resilient future.

What was the challenge that led Iowa City to GOGov?

Iowa City is a community that heavily relies on data, and with a large student population, being able to reach the public using technology was an important factor.

“We are home to a large student population, including students from other countries who come here for various careers. It’s important to be able to have tools available to reach the public using intuitive technology.”
- Shannon McMahon, Communications Coordinator

In particular, the city needed a way to manage issues and complaints from residents, specifically for our housing inspections office to help manage their complaints. Due to reports like tall grass, weeds, un-shoveled sidewalks, and other code enforcement violations, IC’s management had received feedback that although the public had been submitting complaints, the city staff wasn’t being responsive. 11 years ago, Iowa City’s housing inspections office implemented GOGov to develop the Citizen Requests Management/311 solution for the city. Implementing GOGov gave the city the ability to track and manage complaints, and provided employees with reports at the end of the year to show management how the issues were resolved.

How is Iowa City using GOGov today?

Iowa City uses GOGov’s citizen request module as the sole complaint system of record. The public is directed to use the city’s branded mobile app “ICgovXpress” to submit any issue to the city departments. One recent implementation of the request module was an internal maintenance request form for city staff. Currently the city has about 600-700 employees and this new implementation will allow staff to report tickets from the staff standpoint for different buildings around the city. This is going to save time in terms of being able to avoid phone calls, emails, and voicemails from staff that needs to report on maintenance issues. The issue can easily be reassigned to another employee to resolve the report, as well as track the cost associated- such as light bulbs or machinery.

One major impact that the app has on reporting urgent issues is when the city has water main breaks. It helps to keep the city aware of problematic issues that staff may not have known about. Having the software is also important during major weather issues in Iowa City. When trees are damaged, it’s much more helpful to receive digital reports than take reports by phone, especially because the citizens can track the status of the report, rather than call for updates.

Future Plans for Iowa City

Iowa City is constantly thinking about new ways they can use GOGov for all of their city needs. For example, their airport is looking into a system that will receive airport-specific requests, and the maintenance system is looking to grow to pool and boiler room maintenance. The city will continue to use GOGov to give citizens a voice for complaints, but are exploring how the software can benefit the internal systems for employees.

Advice to others considering GOGov

“We’ve worked with GOGov for 11 years and it’s always been seamless. If we have an issue with technology (and that’s rare) it gets taken care of right away and the people at GOGov are consistent. We have worked with the same people for years, which is refreshing, and they know us. I don't feel like I'm bothering anyone when I contact them with a wild question or idea, I think they're open to that creativity and then have the skills needed to pull things off.”
– Shannon McMahon, Communications Coordinator

Your Municipality Powered by GOGov

GOGov is committed to helping municipalities and local governments enhance community engagement, streamline operations, and foster transparent communication. Our partnership with Iowa City, IA demonstrates the potential of our solutions to make a meaningful impact on cities of all sizes, and our continued efforts to improve and innovate further.  

GOGov specializes in providing CRM, Code Enforcement, Citizen Notifications, Online Permitting and mobile software to local governments of all sizes. We built our software from the ground up working with the departments and staff that now use our products every single day.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for a demo with the GOGov team today.

‍