This statement perhaps best sums up the focus of the upcoming Service to the Citizen Summit being held Feb. 22-23 in Denver. The summit, where Gore will speak, will examine the implementation of one-stop service to citizens through the use of information technology and will explore applications, issues, methods and policies related to it.
The summit is hosted by a collaborative group of Colorado-based organizations collectively called Project Colorado. Project Colorado was formed to work toward the goal of providing government information and services through Citizen Service Centers conveniently located throughout the state and accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Project Colorado team is hosting the forum in hopes of involving more states in this type of service to the citizen.
The summit will feature two plenary sessions, the first of which will look at improving government by integrating federal, state, local and tribal services. The second will discuss electronic benefit transfer and citizen concerns with privacy and government intrusion. In addition, there will be two luncheon speeches, one of which will be the talk by Gore.
Working group sessions will look at topics such as system architecture, funding, telemedicine, reinventing government and other tools for helping government change the way it provides services.
The gathering will help attendees identify solutions to problems of implementing electronic services and will give them the opportunity to interact with those who are making electronic government happen in state and local jurisdictions.
Additional sponsors of the program include the U.S. Postal Service, the National Performance Review and the Western Governors' Association.
For more information call Carolyn Sykes at 303/844-6036 or fax 303/844-6767.
GTCP Solution Center
What Are Your Peers Doing With IT?
GTC's Solution Center highlights successful information technology solutions developed by and for state and local government. What are your peers doing with IT? Drop in and see. Watch demonstrations, ask questions, and spark ideas of your own.
Here are a few of the solutions as of press time:
Internet Access to GIS
The Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) will demonstrate an Internet node that allows public access to the department's GIS database and incorporates policies and standards for data collection, storage and transfer. Users will be able to download GIS data, obtain data, and communicate with TNRIS staff. Internet users will also be able to access other state, federal, and local servers.
Contact Jerry Merlick, 512/463-8337.
Direct Access System
The Secretary of States Office will demonstrate a new online system developed to provide public access to corporation, trademark and UCC records. These inquiries previously required a call to the office, which tied up staff. The new system allows anyone to dial the mainframe computer from their office and gain access to a database of information.
Contact Renny Semprun, 512/475-2756.
Public Safety
The city of San Antonio and Software AG recently contracted to jointly develop a new dispatching system for the Police Department's mainframe.
San Antonio now has the needed reliability for its public safety dispatching functions and, as a result, emergency medical service response time has been reduced by over 20 percent. Because this is a public/private partnership, the city is able to share revenues generated by sales of the system.
Contact Nancy Dean, 210/207-8368.
Electronic Library
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission needed a means to make available a growing number of electronic information resources. They developed the Texas State Electronic Library, an Internet information server based on gopher software.
The Electronic Library provides other libraries with organized access to the full range of Internet resources, including library catalogs, subject collections, professional resources, information in Spanish, and e-mail reference assistance. It also contains public information from Texas government, public colleges and universities, and the U.S. government, as well as from other states, international organizations and municipalities.
Contact M. Lisa deGruyter, 512/463-5534.
Accounts Receivable System
The city of San Antonio previously had no standard automated system to account for miscellaneous cash transactions that occur constantly. Hundreds of clerical hours were expended each week to document the city's cash collection activities.
To alleviate the problem, the city designed and implemented a secure online interactive system available to all city departments to integrate with the existing financial management system. Using the system, data can be entered directly through a terminal or in batch mode from another system. Bank deposit slips and city financial reports are prepared automatically.
Contact Nancy Dean, 210/207-8368.
Info/Texas
Info/Texas is a statewide network of multimedia kiosks with which customers can access information about government services using either English or Spanish and can do business interactively with state government.
The Texas Employment Commission has also become involved. By answering frequently asked questions on the kiosk and allowing people to complete routine transactions with their office, TEC staff can devote their time to other duties.
Contact Larry Silvey, 512/475-1262.
Self-Serve Permits
The city of San Antonio developed a self-serve computer application that enables citizens to generate a garage sale permit without waiting for a permit writer to become available. Mandated garage sale restrictions are applied by the software and the printed permit is given to the requestor when the required fee is paid. This system reduced long lines and freed up permit writers to concentrate on problems requiring their job skills.
Contact Nancy Dean, 210/207-8368.
Employment BBS
The office of Chairman Eddie Cavazos of the Texas Employment Commission developed a Bulletin Board System to increase the agency's ability to serve the public effectively by making valuable labor market information available more quickly.
The BBS provides public access to the latest labor market statistics and current information on TEC's employment services and the unemployment compensation system. Information on determining eligibility for unemployment compensation can also be obtained. The BBS also posts government job openings across Texas and the U.S and contains a library of articles relating to occupational issues, rights and laws.
Contact Larry Silvey, 512-475-1262.
Client-Centered Solutions
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services has developed and integrated seven different technology solutions to help various agencies integrate systems and provide one-stop shopping for clients. The system includes a wide area network, enterprise network management, rules-based applications, integration of multiple vendor databases, remote database access, client/server systems architecture, and Southwestern-Bell Microlink.
The sharing of data among state agencies and others who serve clients is part of an effort to treat clients as customers and to avoid bouncing them from one agency to another.
Contact Diana Williamson, 512/450-4489.
Code Enforcement
The city of San Antonio has employed portable computers to emulate the city's Enhanced Code Compliance System. They are used by field investigators to direct daily activities and record the results. Citizen complaints are recorded on the mainframe and then transmitted at shift start to each inspector's handheld unit. Investigation results are recorded in the field and downloaded at shift end for processing.
As a result, citizens receive faster response to their complaints of municipal code violations.
Contact Nancy Dean, 210/207-8368.
Government Center
The Texas Department of Commerce developed a standards-based software application to provide online information to state agencies. The system provides access to purchasing information, enables agencies to share geographic information and conduct interagency communication and information sharing. The information is available on the Internet to state agencies 24 hours a day. The system also enables quick distribution of information in a standard format to anywhere and anyone.
Contact Wayne McDilda, 512/475-4715.
Employing the Disabled
The Texas Commission for the Blind will display technology that can help put blind or visually-impaired people to work in state and local government. The demonstration will include CCTVs, computers with large print, portable notetaking devices, Braille output display devices and OCR systems.
Contact MaryAnne Longenecker, 512/467-6310.
