Montgomery County has been named America’s 3rd ranked digital county government in the United States by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties (NACo). Montgomery County received third place honors in the competition for jurisdictions with populations of 500,000 or greater.

“We are very pleased with this award, as it reflects our strong commitment to making County government more convenient and accessible to the people we serve,” said County Executive Isiah Leggett.

Thousands of counties from across the nation competed with Montgomery County for the top award by participating in the 2011 Digital Counties Survey. The survey takes into consideration all aspects of technology adoption, integration and deployment.

“I am pleased with the survey outcome for the County. Our ability to achieve third place, at a time of significant fiscal reductions and increase in delivery challenges clearly demonstrates that Montgomery County's commitment to technology for business process improvement is paramount,” said Montgomery County Chief Information Officer E. Steve Emanuel. “This award and recognition goes to the combined efforts from all County departments and exemplifies the model of a collaborative and enterprise thinking organization.”

Digital Communities Director Todd Sander said, “Survey responses indicate counties are effectively economizing and finding innovative ways of using technology to meet the higher demand for services during this trying economic time. Counties are consolidating and sharing services to cut down on costs and leveraging technology like virtualization to capture critical savings. Congratulations to the winners!”

“The Digital Counties Survey identifies the very best examples of how counties are aligning technology to support strategic priorities and create crucial operational and administrative efficiencies,” said NACo Executive Director Larry E. Naake. “Especially important during these tough economic times, counties across the country are using innovative technologies to reduce county operations costs and enhance service delivery.”

The 2011 Digital Counties Survey is a study by the Center for Digital Technology and the National Association of Counties taken annually in the spring. All U.S. counties are invited to participate. The full list of 2011 winners can be viewed at www.Centerdigitalgov.com.