Finalists in the 2020 Employee Innovation Challenge wait to hear the announcement of the grand prize winner during a luncheon held Feb. 27. Pictured are, from left, Karla Fecht, Emily Taber, Marcy Koester, Kelsey Walker, Jeremy Shadwick, Ray Raley, Jason Butterfield and Tammy Hudgens. Finalists not pictured are Trevor Bay and Sonja Settle.
Kelsey Walker, administrative assistant for the Community Development Department, took the top prize in the Employee Innovation Challenge with her idea to implement a citywide mobile app that will enable citizens to access City-related information on their phones. Winners of the inaugural event were announced during a luncheon held Feb. 27, sponsored by the Price Tower.
“This is a fantastic idea,” City Manager Mike Bailey said of Walker’s entry. “I can’t count the number of times I’ve attended events in other cities and heard people talk about Mustang’s app, or Richmond (Texas) or Broken Arrow. Having a citywide app will allow citizens to access the information they need in one place, and it will build on other forms of communication we’ve already put into place. It’s yet another tool that we can use to more efficiently serve the community.”
The Employee Innovation Challenge was launched last year after the City Council approved $5,000 in the 2019-20 fiscal year budget for the employee who submitted the winning idea. As the grand prize winner, Walker will receive a $5,000 travel package and five days of special vacation.
Walker said she believes a City app would help citizens who want access to City information for a variety of purposes, from applying for permits to finding out holiday trash routes.
“City-specific mobile apps are used by cities all over Oklahoma and across the U.S.,” Walker said in her submission. “Larger and smaller cities are turning to mobile apps as a way to communicate with their citizens. A mobile app specific to Bartlesville could allow notifications to citizens of important announcements, such as holiday trash routes and street closings, and it could offer another mode of communicating bigger announcements — such as City Beat (the City’s public e-newsletter) — to citizens. It (might) also implement the City directory with a quick link to contact each department, a Q&A-type feature, or provide an easier way to pay utility bills.”
Second Place winner Tammy Hudgens submitted ideas associated with energy cost savings, including installation of a motion sensor lighting system, an automated light shut-off system and the installation of LED lighting at city buildings and facilities. Hudgens won a free night’s stay at the Inn at Price Tower, donated by the Price Tower.
Other finalists in the contest were Sonja Settle, Jason Butterfield, Trevor Bay, Ray Raley, Jeremy Shadwick, Emily Taber, Karla Fecht and Marcy Koester.
In all, 53 submissions were received by 33 participants. Ideas were submitted anonymously and reviewed by one of several subcommittees for feasibility. Ideas passing the feasibility stage were then reviewed by a finalist panel. Department directors were not eligible to win.