Data-driven performance nets award for Bellevue

At a time when governments need to be more efficient than ever, the City of Bellevue has earned national recognition for using data to ensure its services meet resident needs. 

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recently awarded the city a Certificate of Distinction, making Bellevue one of the top 43 municipalities in the country for performance management and the only one in Washington on the list. This is the 18th consecutive year ICMA has recognized Bellevue for its performance management. 

“It’s gratifying to be honored for this vital work, which we are usually doing in the background,” said Toni Call, director of Bellevue’s Finance & Asset Management Department. “We make sure the city’s services measure up.”

Bellevue was recognized for a number of best practices in performance management, including public interaction with data, continuous improvement, and using data to drive planning, management and decision-making.

Through Bellevue’s performance program, staff track and utilize data citywide, and use data-informed decision-making to create a future-focused, sustainable, high-performing city that meets target areas identified in the City Council Vision. Bellevue’s performance reporting portal and Environmental Stewardship Initiative dashboard serve as prime examples of publicly available data used to track and achieve outcomes.

Among Bellevue’s strengths identified by the ICMA are:

• Reporting performance, including at-a-glance visuals (in a performance portal) and embracing opportunities for improvement
• Connecting priorities to metrics, seen most clearly in outcomes-based budgeting process