IT News and Announcements

Public Nuisance Portal Wins 2019 NACo Award

- May 1, 2019

Pierce County’s Public Nuisance Portal allows staff to quickly respond to code complaints. That’s why the online portal has received an innovation award from the National Association of Counties (NACo).

The portal, available at www.piercecountywa.gov/codeenforcement, makes it easy for residents to report abandoned cars, illegal dumping, and other code concerns. Customers can also upload photos and documents, as well as get regular email updates about their case.

Meanwhile, the portal has streamlined how County staff respond to complaints. Previously, employees spent considerable time logging reports and answering questions by phone or email. Now, reports are automatically entered and mapped in the system. This lets employees respond to new complaints in just a couple of days, instead of several weeks!

“In this age of digital information, we want to increase transparency, make it easier for residents to access the records they want, and get real-time updates on their requests,” said Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive.

The Public Nuisance Portal is an important tool for ensuring that Pierce County is a great place to work, live, and raise a family.

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Pierce County's New Web Address and Email

- April 16, 2018

Pierce County has a new web address: www.piercecountywa.gov

Additionally, you can contact employees via their new email address: [email protected] 

Many government entities are making the change to the .gov website address to identify themselves as official agencies. The new .gov address will help the public identify our official website and quickly contact employees.

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IT Wins Two NACo Awards for Innovation


- May 1, 2017

Pierce County has won a National Association of Counties (NACo) Award for using the latest technology to streamline elections.

During the 2016 Presidential Election, Pierce County needed a secure and more efficient way to check in hundreds of temporary election workers. The county implemented biometric time clocks to streamline time entry for these workers. Now up to 20 workers can check in per minute with just a swipe of a finger. The new system is expected to save $10,000 per year by reducing staff time spent on payroll processing and will eliminate the need for hundreds of paper time sheets.

The award recognizes that Pierce County is one of the first counties in the Pacific Northwest to use biometric time clocks for elections. Thanks to the new system, staff can focus on quickly and accurately processing ballots and certifying results. Other county departments are also adopting the clocks to save time and money.

“The Pierce County’s Auditor’s Office never sits on its laurels. Our Elections Divisions has a stellar reputation for always striving to be more efficient and more precise,” Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson said. “Thanks to our partners in Pierce County Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology, our biometric time clock project will save time and money, as well as increase accuracy.”

The IT Division won a second NACo award for upgrading more than 3,200 PCs and 1,000 mobile devices to Office 365. This upgrade saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by replacing aging software and streamlining business processes. The project also involved migrating 4,500 email archive accounts to the Outlook email archive system. Data management company Bishop named Pierce County as an industry leader for a near perfect email migration.

IT Wins 2017 NACo Awards for Innovation
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Pierce County IT Wins Two Standing Ovation Awards



- Oct. 10, 2016

Congratulations to all the IT staff who won Standing Ovation Awards! Staff from IT, the Auditor, and Budget and Finance received an award for their work designing a biometric time entry system. The system allows Elections extra hires to quickly clock in using any finger, thereby saving Pierce County more than $10,000 a year. Check out the

project video to learn more.

Additionally, IT won a Partnership Award for helping to link recorded documents with parcels in the Public GIS system. This project provides greater access to 15 commonly used recorded documents, including deeds of trust, bargain and sale deeds, surveys, liens and easements. Take a look at the award video to learn more.
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Puget Sound Fresh app wins international award for design excellence!


- July 16, 2016

The Puget Sound Fresh App is the perfect way for consumers to learn about fresh summer produce or find local farmer markets. Now the popular app has won a 2016 Apex Award for design and overall communications excellence.

APEX 2016 is an international competition that recognizes outstanding work in digital and print media. Competition this year was particularly fierce, with more than 1,600 entries in 11 main categories. The Fresh App was recognized in the Digital Media category for its elegant design and easy-to use interface.

Pierce County collaborated with neighboring agencies, University of Washington Tacoma and non-profit Seattle Tilth to create the app.

Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy praised the app for supporting local farmers. “The County took the lead in developing this free app, and it’s now benefiting communities all over western Washington,” McCarthy said. “It is gratifying to learn that Puget Sound Fresh has received this recognition.”
2016 Apex Award Winner