The hardest problem in government digital services isn’t ushering them into existence, but ensuring they survive for the long term.
Cities have become much better at launching digital tools. They run pilots, partner with technologists, and move faster than they did a decade ago. But all too frequently, promising services disappear once the pilot ends, a leader departs, or funding shifts. Often, technology geared at serving residents’ needs does not fail because it does not work. It fails because no one is responsible for keeping it alive.
This is an orphaned product problem, and, left unattended, it causes trust in government to erode as quickly as it chips away at vital digital services.
I learned firsthand what building digital services to last looks like as director of innovation and performance at the City of Seattle. The mayor signed an executive order in 2017 calling for new steps to make the city more affordable. My team then worked with residents and local tech companies to prototype a tool that would provide access to assistance in paying for everything from food to childcare to utility bills. Many efforts like this stall once the initial excitement fades. This one did not.
Instead, that prototype evolved into CiviForm, a platform that allows residents to enter eligibility information once and be matched with multiple benefit programs. Recently recognized as one of Time Magazine’s best inventions of 2025, CiviForm succeeded because, in addition to showing early signs of potential effectiveness during the research phase, it tapped into expertise across a range of city departments (from human services to education to transportation), where staff became internal advocates for it. The effort also leaned on the city’s convening power to secure not just one-off contributions but steady support from private-sector and philanthropic partners which, in turn, helped raise expectations for progress and sustain momentum for expansion. And the city was able to create a new product manager role specifically tied to owning the tool, which gave it some staying power in the local bureaucracy.
When a new mayor took office, city leaders understood that keeping CiviForm moving forward mattered regardless of shifting priorities. It had become shared infrastructure, not a one-off project.
As CEO of U.S. Digital Response, a nonpartisan nonprofit and partner of Bloomberg Philanthropies that helps local and state governments modernize digital services, I see cities deploying effective digital-service strategies across the country. But I also see some governments struggling amid reduced federal support and ongoing capacity constraints. In this environment, sustainability cannot be an afterthought.
Of course, even when leaders recognize this, they face challenges in making it happen. When USDR surveyed government partners about barriers to building digital capacity, three themes emerged consistently. Organizational silos keep technical solutions fragmented. Cultural barriers make it hard to design around user needs. And governments lack investment in roles and procurement practices that support long-term ownership. Many respondents rated their digital capacity at three out of five. Enough to launch something, but not enough to sustain it.
Cities that avoid this trap do five things differently.
First, they shift the framing. Digital services are baked into departmental budgets and routines, rather than floating as special initiatives or one-off investments. That makes them part of how government serves communities, not projects that disappear when funding tightens.
Second, they build cross-functional capacity. In Grand Rapids, Mich., the City Clerk’s office previously managed more than 600 election workers across 74 precincts using spreadsheets, mail merges, and email. USDR helped the office move to an election-worker management system designed around how staff actually do their jobs. And rather than relying on the IT team to run it, the Clerk’s office owns the entire process. By automating routine tasks for most workers, the city enables staff to focus on the complex situations that require their unique experience and judgment. The system continues election after election because it is embedded in the way the office operates.
Third, they embrace shared standards. Rather than having every department start from zero, cities develop and deploy common approaches that other teams and even other cities can adopt and adapt. The election-worker system we helped roll out in Grand Rapids is used by jurisdictions across the country, each tailoring it to local laws while benefiting from shared infrastructure.
Fourth, they measure what matters. Success is defined by whether services improve for residents. Can families find help faster? Can election workers update their information easily? Can permit applicants get to the right appointment the first time?
Finally, they plan for transitions. The most vulnerable moment for any digital service or product is when the person who built it leaves or leadership changes. Cities that plan for durability build documentation and knowledge transfer into every project from day one.
Crisis often makes the stakes clearer. When the Eaton Fire struck Pasadena, Calif., in January 2025, the city uncovered gaps in how departments coordinated and delivered useful information to residents during emergencies. Rather than building a standalone communications tool, Pasadena worked with USDR to better understand how people seek out information during crisis, creating user-informed webpage templates that combine expertise from across agencies and will help streamline the process during the next emergency.
I see cities doing impactful digital work every day. In every case, the efforts that endure are the ones owned by the people responsible for delivering. That is what will shape the future of local government services. Not better technology or even better collaboration, but whether cities think ahead about how to fortify their most effective digital services for the long haul, with clear departmental ownership and accountability.
Sustainability is not something you add after innovation succeeds. It is built into how innovation happens from the start. And when residents can rely on government services that work consistently, trust grows.
This piece originally was featured in Bloomberg Cities Network Spark newsletter.
Thumbnail photo by Ilyuza Mingazova on Unsplash
