York County’s IT team has spent the past decade redefining what local government tech can and should be. From pioneering community cybersecurity workshops to forging statewide collaboration through ValGITE, the county has systematically brought innovation into its operations. This broad portfolio of initiatives has strengthened infrastructure and elevated service delivery. And also earned York County the number one spot in the Digital Counties Survey for jurisdictions under 150,000 population.
“Since I became deputy director eight years ago, this has been one of my goals,” reflects Tim Wyatt, director of information technology at York County. “And over the last eight years, we’ve been in the top 10, but we finally landed that number one place. I think it’s a great reflection for my team, the county, and all the dedication to try to do what’s right by the citizens. It’s just something I’m incredibly proud of. I think it accurately reflects the hard work of my team.”
Continuing Success with AI
York County’s journey into public tech education began with cybersecurity. “Years ago, we realised hackers were attacking and targeting citizens who didn’t have the information to protect themselves,” says Wyatt. He realised residents lacked fundamental awareness of online threats. So, the IT team launched in-person workshops, online videos, and resource libraries. “We felt like we were in a unique position to educate. We recorded everything and posted it online.”
With everyone talking about artificial intelligence, Wyatt and his team knew education was going to be hugely important to ensure the safe and responsible use of the technology. Following on from the success of York County’s cybersecurity outreach, Wyatt began to look at extending this to cover AI.
“This year, the big buzzword is AI,” explains Wyatt. “At York County, we have a unique perspective on how we reach out to both our workforce and the citizens themselves. As a government entity, we directly interface with the local people. So we’re in a unique place to work with them, educate them, make them aware of different things.”
Rolling Out AI
Under the guidance of Deputy Director Paula Kohrt, York County hosted its first AI 101 session at the public library for a two-plus-hour primer on AI fundamentals. This covered the basics of AI with real-world examples, protecting your data, and everyday use cases.
“The session ran well over two hours,” explains Wyatt. “It went over practical things about what artificial intelligence is and how you can utilise it in terms everyone could understand.”
While education for citizens is important, Wyatt recognised the need to also train York County staff. Integrating AI into government workflows isn’t just about the technology it’s also about the people.
