With more than 200,000 inhabitants, Municipality4 is one of the largest municipalities in the Netherlands. In the Dutch system of local politics and governance, municipalities have a wide range of responsibilities, ranging from public order and safety to social and health policy (unemployment, youth care) to land use planning and waste management.
Financially, Municipality4 primarily derives its revenue from central government contributions, which account for approximately two-thirds of its income. Additional funding mainly comes from local taxes and land development. The largest budget items, accounting for more than half of the local budget, consist of social and health policy. To serve its residents, the municipality has a sizeable organisation with approximately 2,500 employees. Organisationally, Municipality4 consists of 18 different departments, including a large “Data, Information and Technology” department consisting of approximately 250 FTEs. This department has a diverse mix of individuals with technical backgrounds (e.g. in data science, former programmers), service staff for IT workplace support, and operational employees handling essential data registrations (e.g. property valuation). Municipality4 profiles itself as an innovative city.
As an example of innovative work practices, the municipality was among the first in the Netherlands to implement data-driven work practices. Another example of digital innovation is what is termed ‘omnichannel’ strategy implemented by the municipality to improve service delivery, allowing residents to contact them through various channels such as telephone, service desk, email, WhatsApp, and chatbots (interview municipality4, PA).
