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Counties Highlight IT Successes at NACo Conference

Electronic filing for property statements and RFID tracking of election ballots draw attention.

CIO Sightings
James Zingale, former executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue, has joined Deloitte as a state government industry adviser. Zingale oversaw implementation of Florida's $110 million System for Unified Taxation (SUNTAX), a project that reportedly delivered a 10-to-1 return on investment. He will serve as a key adviser for Deloitte's state revenue and finance transformation service offerings, helping state governments maximize revenue in an era of increasingly strapped budgets.


IT Action at NACo
County leaders recently descended on Kansas City, Mo., for the National Association of Counties' (NACo) annual conference. Government IT officials shared project stories at the event's Technology Summit.

For instance, Orange County, Calif., Assessor Webster Guillory reported his success at getting most California assessors' offices to jointly fund and build a property statement electronic filing system. Reducing paper files enabled workers to research a property statement in just a few minutes, compared to roughly 20 minutes in the past, said Guillory.

Also, Alameda County, Calif., now tracks all paper ballots during elections using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. David MacDonald, director of IT and registrar of voters for Alameda County, insists RFID tags prevent ballots from mysteriously disappearing on election nights.

The NACo conference also featured the Center for Digital Government's Digital Counties Survey Awards Ceremony. The survey highlighted four categories of IT excellence based on population size. Charles County, Md., took a top honor for its service delivery tracking system, among other accomplishments. Frederick County, Md., got a nod for achievements like its new Web portal delivering public meetings through video streaming and podcasts. Loudoun County, Va., snagged a top honor with the help of its new open source Web content management system, and San Diego County, Calif., took the fourth top award, partially due to its exhaustive Web portal overhaul.

-- Andy Opsahl, Features Editor

 

Digital Counties Survey Winners

Each year, the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties recognize counties that excel in using technology innovatively to better serve constituents. The 2008 winners are:

 

500,000 or more population:
1. San Diego County, Calif.
2. Anne Arundel County, Md.; Oakland County, Mich. (tie)
3. Fairfax County, Va.
4. Westchester County, N.Y.
5. King County, Wash.; Orange County, Fla. (tie)
6. Sacramento County, Calif.
7. Tulsa County, Okla.
8. Montgomery County, Md.; Wake County, N.C. (tie)
9. Prince George's County, Md.
10. Orange County, Calif.


250,000-499,999 population:

1. Loudoun County, Va.
2. Richland County, S.C.
3. Dakota County, Minn.
4. Howard County, Md.
5. Placer County, Calif.
6. Prince William County, Va.
7. Douglas County, Colo.; Hamilton County, Ind. (tie)
8. Dutchess County, N.Y.
9. Washtenaw County, Mich.
10. Utah County, Utah


150,000-249,999 population:
1. Frederick County, Md.
2. Roanoke County, Va.
3. Scott County, Iowa
4. Dona Ana County, N.M.
5. Yuma County, Ariz.
6. Racine County, Wis.
7. Peoria County, Ill.
8. Cumberland County, Pa.
9. Leon County, Fla.
10. Ottawa County, Mich.


Less than 150,000 population:
1. Charles County, Md.
2. Stearns County, Minn.
3. Nevada County, Calif.
4. Boone County, Mo.
5. Skagit County, Wash.; Gloucester County, Va. (tie)
6. Olmsted County, Minn.
7. Geauga County, Ohio; Randolph County, N.C. (tie)
8. Napa County, Calif.
9. Albemarle County, Va.
10. Delaware County, Ohio; Sutter County, Calif. (tie)

 

Govtech.com Hot List

Here are the 10 most popular stories on Govtech.com from July 5, 2008 to Aug. 5, 2008.


1. Privacy: Agencies Struggle to Redact Personal Data From Online Public Documents
The rise of identity theft sparks drive

to block Social Security numbers and other data.

2. San Francisco Network Administrator Locks Everyone Out, Goes to Jail
Disgruntled city IT employee refuses to divulge password for key systems.

3. E-Discovery Prompts Agencies to Strengthen Document Management
Federal court rules trigger new requirements for electronic information stored by government.

4. Younger Employees May Bring New IT Security Challenges
Millennial generation will use Web 2.0 to work, study says. CIOs downplay the security impact.

5. Site Reveals Salaries of New York State Employees, Other State Financial Data
Conservative think tank launches Web site with comprehensive financial data for state.

6. Business Continuity: Inadequate Planning Affects CIOs
Growing complexity and criticality of IT makes business continuity a necessity for public sector.

7. Carly the Avatar Greets Visitors to San Carlos City Hall
California city uses Web-based avatar to replace receptionist lost to budget cuts.

8. CIOs Try to Follow Top Government IT Security Trends
The laundry list of security threats continues to grow, placing increasing pressure on CIOs to cover a multitude of bases.

9. Governments Around the Globe Have Become Early Adopters of Web 2.0 Strategies
Collaborative information exchange holds promise for government, but adopting Web 2.0 demands change.

10. Mesh Network Creates Low-Cost Muni Wi-Fi for Kentucky Town
Project provides free wireless Internet in downtown Prestonsburg for just $8,500.

Andy Opsahl is a former staff writer and features editor for Government Technology magazine.