Published on December 16, 2025
Silicon Valley. All it takes is those two words to stir up thoughts of technological innovation coming out of major tech companies. It’s more than a place to many; it’s the ultimate destination for all things technology. However, it’s far from the only destination, and the City of Charlotte’s Innovation and Technology (I&T) department is making sure of that with its latest top-five placement in the Center for Digital Government’s Digital Cities Survey.
“We have to think out of the box to make things happen and not take no for an answer,” Chief Information Officer Markell Storay said.
The Center for Digital Governments (CDG) is a national institute focused on state and local governments’ technology policy and practices. Every year, CDG invites municipalities all over the country to compete for its Digital Cities Survey awards. More than 50 cities were recognized as forward-thinking cities “propelling city government innovation to new heights” in 2025. Of those cities, Charlotte ranked fourth out of 11 in the ‘500,000 or more population’ category. Plus, it is one of only cities outside of California to secure a top-five spot.
This placement is significant, seeing as how Charlotte came in eighth place the year before. Storay credits the jump to the hard work of the team, especially Keri Shearer, who organized the information for the survey. This year, he says I&T focused on larger-scale, public-facing programs which help residents access needed information faster. For example, the Vision Zero Dashboard, provides real-time information about car crashes through an interactive, easy-to-use database. The city’s also taking a crawl, walk, run approach for artificial intelligence (AI), which gives this team a leg up on utilizing AI for local government in a thoughtful way.
“These days it is about understanding the customer or the citizens we support,” Storay said. “It’s not just about technology but what we are doing for the community.”
Storay also credits employee commitment to this climb in rank and why the city demonstrated the three main qualities CDG was looking for: trust, measurable impact and strong communities. Storay says most of the I&T employees have been doing this work for 20 or more years, providing consistency and a legacy of knowledge that pushes the work forward. Technology teams across Charlotte—including the ones in departments like Aviation, Water, and Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)—also bring freshness and creativity, rounding out what Storay calls a powerhouse team.
“It is important to bring in staff with a caring heart who want to be a part of government,” he said. “That ensures we have people wanting to think of creative ways to help our residents.”
This team isn’t ready to stop at fourth place though. Storay says he is “super proud” of this year’s work. While they are celebrating their win, they are also looking ahead. Next year, Storay says the top spot will have the words Charlotte, North Carolina next to it.
“It is tough when you are going up against the cities that are in the Silicon Valley,” Storay said. “We have to think out of the box to make things happen and not take no for an answer. But next year, I want to be number one and I think we can do it.”
Visit the Innovation & Technology webpage for more information on some of the projects that helped secure this year’s top-five placement.