SAN DIEGO - For the fifth time in the six years, MuniNet Guide & Review has selected the City of San Diego's web site (www.sandiego.gov) as one of its "Top Picks" among government web sites in the country. MuniNet Guide & Review is a national web site covering municipal-related content on the Internet.

"This sunny site places a premium on orderliness," MuniNet stated in its most recent edition. "Everything is in its place, and there's a place for (seemingly) everything, from weekly special events, the 11 city beaches and a check on construction plans to a file cabinet-like structure to departments, services and other attractions."

"This organized effort is no surprise considering the earnest tag line that runs across the upper left hand corner of the home page: `The Most Efficiently Run Big City in California,'" MuniNet continued. The other top-rated web sites include New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

Mayor Dick Murphy applauded the City's web team for maintaining the City's world-class internet presence. "For many citizens, the internet is becoming the preferred way of interacting with their local government, and, because of that, it's important to continue bringing an excellent representation of City Hall to our citizens electronically." The City's Information Technology and Communications Department's E-Government Program operates the City's web site.

Mardee Alvaro, editor of MuniNet Guide & Review, said that over the past few years municipal governments have come a long way in improving the way they interact with the people they have been entrusted to serve.

"While the overall sophistication of web sites continues to increase, the main trend we witnessed over the past year is the heightened focus on customer service," said Alvaro. "More than ever before, citizens are being treated like valued customers, and the shift toward this focus is evident online."

Today's outstanding web sites increasingly exhibit "I" qualities: "The cities that get it - and are getting glowing reviews from users - are providing information, spurring interaction, and soliciting input from residents …when they need it," she said.

She said this year's Top Picks for local government web sites offer several basic elements, including budget and financial information, opportunities for two-way communication, economic development materials, and online service delivery. They also possess 'something extra' in terms of style and pizzazz.

MuniNetGuide.com provides an online guide and directory to web sites for state, county and local governments and other municipal-related matters, including municipal investment and research, municipal bonds, regional economies, urban development and local public policy. The site provides a searchable online database of municipal and related web sites with more than 7,500 listings of web sites that pertain to state and local governments, agencies and related organizations. In addition, MuniNet publishes a hard-copy newsletter and annual Site Directory.

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