St Louis Park

Local Government Innovation Award Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs

Awarded: April 2009
Faced with a growing graffiti problem, the City of St. Louis Park realized that information from the public and surrounding municipalities would help it bring perpetrators to justice and keep the community clean. But the question remained how to join forces with surrounding communities while remaining cost effective.

The answer was a combination of a public information campaign and GraffitiNet, a web-based site (software developed by Jason Huber) for cities to share pertinent information. This aggregate data has allowed the Hennepin County Attorney to strengthen cases that would otherwise have remained city-specific and has earned the City of St. Louis Park a Local Government Innovation Award

"This award recognizes exactly what GraffitiNet and our public information campaign aimed to do – find a creative approach to graffiti problems," said Tom Harmening, St. Louis Park City Manager. "It's an honor for our city and all of the cities involved to be recognized for this collaboration and its success."

"I am very impressed with the quality of the many applications we received. The winners deserve the public's gratitude for real innovation that saves taxpayer dollars in these difficult economic times," said Jay Kiedrowski, senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute.

Local Government Innovation Award
To learn more about the Humphrey Institute's Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center, visit: www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/pnlc/