E-Government: Efficient, Effec ve, Electronic Government Contents E- Governemnt Survey: Why Should You Care? ............................................................................. Page 2 E-Government Explained ................................................................................................................. Page 3 “E-Government” can mean in a literal sense “Electronic Government”, and refer to various computerbased technologies used in governmental opera ons. In a broader sence, the term must also evoke the efficiency, effec veness, and ease that accompany these technologies - technologies that are already at work throughout the public and private business world. E-Government is Already at Work ................................................................................................... Page 3 Filing Permits Online ........................................................................................................................ Page 4 Paying Fees, Fines, and Taxes Online ............................................................................................... Page 5 GIS Integra on ................................................................................................................................. Page 5 Green Compnent ............................................................................................................................. Page 7 Budget Sustainability ....................................................................................................................... Page 7 Regional Precedent: Gra on, MA .................................................................................................... Page 7 Regional Precedent: Franklin Regional Council of Governments ..................................................... Page 9 Summary .......................................................................................................................................... Page 10 Next Steps ........................................................................................................................................ Page 10 Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 1 E- Government Survey: Why Should You Care? YES Does your city hall or town building staff feel they can’t focus on their work due to constant interrup ons from ‘walk-ins’ and phone calls? YES Are the Building Department and Board of Health overwhelmed with the amount of paper work and interdepartmental research needed to process a permit or license? Are fees not collected or deposited to appropriate accounts as o en or fast as needed? YES Can the communica on between departments and commi ees be improved? YES Are permi ng decisions delayed or made without all the necessary informa on? YES Does it take a long me (if ever) for notes from site inspec ons to be entered into the official record? YES YES Are residents and contractors frustrated by the lack of easily accessible informa on and perceived delays from municipal opera ons? YES Do you need a long term solu on to help make local government sustainable and slow down annual cost increases? Results: If you answered YES to any of these ques ons, then E-Government may help make the work of municipal employees more efficient, effec ve, and - equally important - easier. Techniques similar to those of E-Government have been successfully employed by the private sector for years - why not in your town? Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 2 E- Government Explained E-Government can mean in a literal sense “Electronic Government”, and refer to various computer-based technologies used in governmental opera ons, including the distribu on of informa on and services. A be er defini on of E-Government - and the focus of this paper - is the use of technology to improve municipal Efficiency and Effec veness. In a broader use of the term, E-Government includes exis ng uses of electronics in government such as large-scale use of telephones and fax machines, surveillance systems, as well as new tracking systems such as RFID tags, and even the use of television and radios to spread government-related informa on. In this sense, E-Government is not a new phenomenon by any means. The use of radio waves to spread disaster warnings, or to give informa on on vo ng, is a facet of E-Government that has been in use for many years.1 The concept of E-Government today and in the future deals heavily with Internet applica ons to aid in government opera ons. A be er defini on and the focus of this paper is the use of technology to improve Efficiency and Effec veness in Government. E-Government is Already at Work Examples of Exis ng E-Government Implementa on: • Municipal Webpages • Obtaining Online Copies of Permits • Paying Taxes Online • Email • Library Renewals • Emergency Communica on and No fica on Improved dissemina on of informa on and accessing permits online is already in wide use in municipal government. How many visits per day or phone calls to the Building Department office are the result of property owners and contractors reques ng and filling a building permit applica on? Does the Town Clerk office have a lot of traffic from residents asking for copies of town by-laws? Does the Board of Health receive a lot of walk-ins and phone calls for well or sep c permits and informa on about flu clinics? Pos ng this informa on on a municipal web site can greatly improve service to residents AND reduce the interrup ve nature of these requests on municipal employees. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 3 The pos ng of informa on is the first step towards E-Government. The next step in this progression may include the following: • Newsle ers automa cally emailed to subscriber distribu on lists • Implemen ng “Reverse 911” systems to expediently no fy the en re community or specific residen al areas about important public safety issues. • U lizing “Social Media”; Twi er, Facebook etc. to easily update a large number of residents about certain pre-selected issues; school closing, parking bans, road closures, etc. The concept and fun on of E-Government begins to reach its full poten al when it includes: • Filling permits and license requests online • Paying fees, fines, and taxes online • GIS Integra on • Data consolida on and sharing These vital next steps are all explored in the remainder of this document. Filing Permits Online Being able to pick up permit applica ons online is part of the process towards E-Government. The next step is filling these permits out online, as well. There are addi on ‘hurdles’, but also addi onal benefits for both the applicant and the municipality. Being able to pick up permit applica ons online is part of the process towards E-Government. The next step is filling these permits out online, as well. Online permit submission requires ‘back-end servers’ and specialized so ware applica ons to process these transac ons and collect the appropriate fees. The DMV has been implemen ng this process for mul ple years. Municipal systems are readily available from several experienced vendors. They may also be in use in other area communi es that are willing to contract out these services. Once the permits are in digital (electronic) format, the poten al to enhance opera onal efficiency is significant: • Submit applica ons for work on Projects without visi ng City/Town Hall. • Request or reschedule an inspec on. • Faster turn around and more efficient permit processing. • Schedule inspec ons directly from your processed permits, and add detailed inspec on request informa on for your inspector. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 4 Paying Fees, Fines, and Taxes Online Private enterprise has been using E-Commerce for years. Most ci zens are very familiar with ordering and paying for goods and services online at a company’s web site. Why not u lize the same processes for municipal services? In the same way that people can purchase products via the Internet, there are services available for municipalies to offer online payment op ons to their taxpayers via a website. These municipali es give taxpayers the ability to pay by electronic check transfers or credit card payments 24hours a day. The community typically sets up a link on its website called “online payment,” which redirects the taxpayer to the third-party website. The City of Fall River, MA already uses “Online Bill Pay” for its real estate tax payments. The service provider / third-party can create its page to look like the municipal website or not. At that point, the taxpayer has the ability to pay for their tax, excise or fee using either an electronic checking transfer or a credit card. The E-Check op on is usually free, while the credit card fee is passed on to the user. The “customer” will receive an email confirming payment. Ideally, once the system is in place, the collector sends the tax, excise, or u lity commitment to its service provider, who would upload it into their system. The service provider can then wire the money to the municipality, or deposit it directly into a deposit-only bank account in the municipality’s name. The third-party service provider should also provide the municipality with an electronic and hardcopy register of payments received. If the municipality and the vendor have compa ble so ware, the collector can download a record of payments received and post them immediately.”2 Residents can obtain the services sooner and much more conveniently than trying to visit the Town Hall when the office is open, which can be difficult during their normal work hours. The collected funds (fees, fines, taxes) can reach the town’s bank accounts sooner through E-Government enabled direct deposit. The paper work normally associated with ‘walk-in over-the-counter visits’ is replaced by digital informa on that is easy to file, track, report, retrieve, and store. GIS Integra on This is where the ‘magic’ occurs. Elimina ng or at least reducing the paper work with electronic records is great. However, the integra on with other systems is the real advantage. Digital maps and aerial photos can be a ached to building permits. Radius no fica ons (Abu er No ces) Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 5 can easily be generated. The viewing of related issues, such as other permits, complaints, other projects, land records, zoning, wetlands, drainage structures, owner details, contractor informa on, etc can automa cally become part of the permit file. For larger communi es, GIS informa on enables the rela ve geographic loca on of each site to create schedules and suggest the rou ng of daily inspec ons. “A geographic informa on system (GIS), or geospa al informa on system is any system that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that are linked to a loca on. In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, sta s cal analysis, and database technology . . . In a more generic sense, GIS applica ons are tools that allow users to create interac ve queries (usercreated searches), analyze spa al informa on, edit data, maps, and present the results of all these opera ons.” 3 The above image is a screenshot taken from a GIS depic on of building permits (in red) issued in the Town of Shrewbury, MA. The permit data was georeferenced - that is, given a coordinate on the ground - and delivered to the public in Google Maps. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 6 Green Component Along with the more obvious benefits of more efficient municipal opera ons, there is an environmental benefit resul ng from the use of E-Government systems: • Less paper used, means fewer trees to be cut, and less paper to be thrown away • Electronic access to municipal departments means fewer vehicle trips. A er deploying an E-permit system, Connec cut’s Capital Region COG es mates a reduc on of 111,000 miles driven and 98,000 kg of CO2 per year. Budget Sustainability The ghtening of municipal budgets is forcing governments to find a be er long term solu on. Departments will not be able to con nually add staff as the number of residents and permits increase. They will have to find ways to do more with their current staff level. E-Government implementa ons can help improve opera ng efficiency and make it possible to make government opera ons more sustainable. Regional Example: Gra on, MA An implementa on of E-Government - specifically E-permi ng - was created by the Town of Gra on via funding from the Commonwealth and is available for use by other Massachuse s communi es. Municipal Permit tracking System (MPTS) is based upon 2003 Microso Access database and requires customiza on for each addi onal municipality. Database templates and data dic onaries along with a starter kit and user guide are available. This system provides permit tracking, but not full permit document genera on and management. It is not designed to replace commercial permi ng packages. But it does provide municipali es that have the appropriate IT skill sets with the opportunity to create and implement their own E-Government permit tracking system. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 7 With a fully integrated E-permit system, all of the other municipal reviews and approvals required for each building permit, as well all other inspector sign offs can be ed together electronically even allowing updates from mobile devices at each site. There are mul ple commercial versions of this type of solu on available today. These third party systems can offer turnkey solu ons with the vendor handing all of the data integra on and customiza on issues. Screenshots (right) of the Town of Gra on’s E-Permi ng System illustrate various steps in the online process as well as the userfriendly interface. Any individual who has purchased plane ckets, changed email se ngs, or filed taxes online has experience with this type of form. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 8 Regional Example: Franklin Regional Council of Governments The Franklin Regional Council of Governments is also implemen ng an E-Permi ng service. The new system will automate many elements of the permi ng process. Simple permits will be obtainable over the internet, and the process of verifying contractor licenses and ensuring that no taxes are owed where the construc on is taking place will be automated. It will provide a highly visible example of how a regional approach can lead to improved services and greater efficiency. It will enhance economic development by making construc on, remodeling, and other development projects easier and less costly. It will encourage residents and business owners to get required permits. Finally, it will help hard working municipal staff work more efficiently in a me of ghtening budgets and reduced staffing. A similar effort in Washington State yielded the following results: Contractors will save over $400,000 in direct labor costs in one year using the system . . . average u liza on for online permits was 49 % and some agencies have exceeded 60 % u liza on. Permit counter lines are shorter, freeing staff to spend more me with customers that need assistance with more complex projects. Summary The need to change past prac ces and adopt new solu ons that are more efficient is here now and will only become more demanding in the future. When the ‘paper-work’ in a municipal department is piling up, instruc ng employees to work harder or more over me is only a short term answer. However, it isn’t a sustainable solu on. Municipali es are facing deficits, making the hiring of addi onal office support or payment for extra hours unlikely. Many residents are also facing difficult financial mes, and thus are less likely to accept or vote for tax increases. Now is the me to “work smarter”, not harder. Changing historical opera ng policies and methods is not easy. The cost associated with the acquisi on, training, and ongoing support needed for new E-Government solu ons will not be trivial. However, the long-term benefits can greatly out way the start-up costs and show favorable ROI. The need to change past prac ces and adopt new solu ons that are more efficient is here now and will only become more demanding in the future. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 9 Next Steps SRPEDD is not advoca ng a specific E-Government solu on, nor are we suppor ng or recommending specific products or vendors. However, we are available to help facilitate E-Government changes. Pending local interest, SRPEDD will help communi es inves gate E-Government solu ons; organize group bids for service and so ware applica ons; explore joint purchases; and coordinate the implementa on of compa ble solu ons between communi es for addi onal benefits. The cost of these solu ons can be split between mul ple communi es, while each community maintains control of their processes and receives the full benefits of the new E-Government solu ons. If you are interested in exploring the E-Government benefits for your community, contact: Ross Perry Municipal Management Specialist SRPEDD 88 Broadway Taunton, MA 02780 rperry@srpedd.org 508-824-1367 Ext 239 Addi onal E-Gov material - including the case studies listed below - are available on the SRPEDD website at h p://www.srpedd.org/e-gov.asp : Denton, TX Escondido, CA Fresco, TX Greenville, TX Presco , AZ Redwood City, CA San Rafael, CA References: 1 h p://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-e-government.htm 2 h p://www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dls/mdmstuf/Technical_Assistance/Best_Prac ces/OnlineBillPayments.pdf 3 h p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_informa on_system Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District • 88 Broadway • Taunton, MA 02780 10