The City of Calera, Alabama, recently earned the 2025 GMIS International G2C Innovation Award, recognition that highlights how the city has used its My Calera app to solve a real problem for residents and first responders alike. We caught up with James Fuller, Chief Information Officer for the City of Calera, to hear the story behind the award and what it means for the community.

What is the GMIS G2C Innovation Award

GMIS, the Government Management Information Sciences organization, brings together roughly 620 IT professionals across 7 countries, including 35 US states. Each year, GMIS hosts GMIS Meets, an event built around training and recognition, including the G2C award, short for government to citizen innovation. The award celebrates agencies that go above and beyond to improve how they serve residents. Full award details are available on the GMIS website.

Solving a real safety problem

Before working in IT, James spent 10 years as a police officer in Calera, so he saw the city’s railroad challenge firsthand. Two major rail lines run through town, and trains frequently block roads at switching yards nearby. First responders often couldn’t tell which routes were clear, which slowed response times during emergencies.

The city’s solution was to install cameras at key railroad crossings and build a public website where anyone could check live footage. Calera then added a link to those camera feeds directly inside the My Calera app, giving residents, first responders, and city staff one place to check for blocked crossings before heading out.

The impact reached further than expected. Fire stations now have the live feeds on TV in each truck bay, dispatch monitors them too, and fire trucks carry iPads running the My Calera app so crews can check crossings from the road. Even the local school bus shop uses the app daily to plan safe routes.

While the app plays a central role, the railroad camera system itself was built and is maintained by the City of Calera.

Daily engagement residents count on

Calera pushes out some kind of notification through the app almost every day, and residents have made checking it part of their routine. James shared that one resident calls in regularly just to say how much she relies on the app to stay in the loop.

Beyond railroad alerts, residents use the app for real time traffic notifications along the interstate that runs through town, community event updates, code enforcement requests, and brush pickup scheduling. Next month, the city plans to add water outage reporting, continuing to expand what residents can do without picking up the phone or digging through social media.

Working with the GOGov support team

James pointed to responsive support as a highlight of the partnership. When the city ran into an issue with push notifications after a recent update, he had a ticket answered within 30 minutes and a fix in place within a couple of hours.

Congratulations to the City of Calera on this well earned recognition, and thank you to James Fuller for sharing the story behind it.

Interested in bringing this kind of citizen engagement to your community? Schedule a demo with our team today.

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