The City of Margate earned first place in the 2023 Civic Experience Award for its new Property Improvement Grant Program (PIP). The Civic Experience Awards recognize local governments working hard to improve civic experiences in ways that create greater resident satisfaction and safer, cleaner, and more profitable communities. 

“Thanks to this new software, the City of Margate was able to offer a simple online application process for a grant program that helps property owners improve their homes or businesses. It greatly simplified the process, not only for our residents but also for our staff,” said Margate Mayor Anthony N. Caggiano. “This is a great example of a local government partnering with new technology to improve the experiences of our constituents.” 

At an online awards ceremony held on September 18, 2023, the City of Margate received a Gold Civic Experience Award trophy and a $1,500 charitable contribution from CivicPlus. Silver and Bronze Civic Experience Award winners went to the Village of Skokie, Illinois, and the City of Calera, Alabama, respectively.

Last October, the Margate City Commission approved a Property Improvement Grant Program (PIP) that set aside $1.5 million for property owners to make comprehensive fixed capital and other improvements to their properties. The program encourages property and business owners to restore, renovate, and improve their properties. Using the new software, the CivicPlus Process Automation and Digital Services (CivicOptimize), the PIP program was successfully introduced internally with a quick turnaround to offer online grant applications for external customers. The program was so successful that the City will reopen the grant program in the next couple of months to accept new applications.