Designing a Performance Measurement System for the City of Newburgh

The City of Newburgh, a town of 30,000 residents located on the Hudson River about 60 miles north of New York City, requested assistance in measuring its government performance. The Capstone team partnered with the City; Pattern for Progress, a local non-profit organization; and Mount St. Mary’s, the local college, to examine the City’s data collection and analysis processes, specifically focusing on the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Code Enforcement, and city finances. The team then provided a framework to assist city officials in using data to make more informed decisions. In addition, the team made recommendations for replicating the analysis in following years and provided the means by which to expand data collection and analysis. In order to provide broader transparency and accessibility, especially for the general public, the information was made available in the form of an easily digestible public document, as well as in a presentation to city leaders and community members.