UPDATE (05/06/19): If you missed our Philly Tech Week 2019 talk, you can still watch it on Twitter.
UPDATE (05/03/19): This event is sold out, but we’re broadcasting “Data Driven – Success Stories from Philadelphia City Government” live. Tune in on Monday, May 6 at 3 P.M. ET https://twitter.com/PhilaRevenue. Tweet your questions to the panel by tagging @GovLabPHL or @PhilaRevenue.
Senior staff members, data analysts and social scientists working for the Philadelphia Department of Revenue are unveiling how the City has lifted tax compliance and water bill collections to record highs. Speaking as part of Philly Tech Week 2019 presented by Comcast, Revenue panelists will explain how they use behavioral science and heaps of data to advance –even transform– the Department’s work.
Numbers help summarize Revenue’s recent success:
- Real Estate Tax delinquency declined by 37% since 2013
- Business Income & Receipts Tax delinquency fell by 36% from 2014 to 2018
- On-time water collection rate was almost 90% in 2018, up from 88.8% 2017
But what stories lie behind the numbers? City employees at the fore of this progress will talk about their efforts on Monday, May 6, in the Innovation Lab of the Municipal Services Building. They include:
- Mark Harvey, the Director of Operations for the Water Revenue Bureau
- Nathaniel Olin, a social scientist in the Mayor’s Policy Office
- Darryl E. Watson Jr., a senior policy analyst for Revenue’s Collections Unit
- Roman Strakovsky, the Director of Data Intelligence in Revenue’s Research unit
They will cover many of the strategies the Department has tested, including predictive analytics, better messaging and data matching. They will also discuss and answer questions about the Department’s latest projects. The event is free, but registration is required.
