etownblog.org

The Hartford Courant just reported on an upcoming meeting of “Municipalities to Discuss Energy-Saving Strategies“. In e-Town, there are many opportunities to reduce energy usage by municipalities and residents. By offering residents and local businesses Web based access to municipal services, town hall can reduce the hours of operation and save energy and maintenance as a result. Residents and businesses don’t need to travel to town hall saving gasoline and time. Through Web based service requests, the municipality can better plan dispatch routes and inspections, saving gas and time. The Web also enables multiple municipalities to share services and resources, opening additional energy saving alternatives. As a bonus, the Web eliminates the need for paper and all the associated production energy. Every municipality should explore the opportunities for energy savings through Web based services.

On December 18, 2008, the Wall Street Journal  ran the article “Compiling a To-Do List for Obama’s New Deal”. Now, seven months later as new stimulus funding discussions are in the news, I was struck by how eTown makes this earlier list relevant and actionable. First consider Transportation and Infrastructure. In eTown, residents and town hall are tied together through a web based service request system. Each resident becomes a sensor for the integrity of the transportation infrastructure and town hall is able to quickly address deficiencies while repair costs are still low. Another area, Energy Efficiency, is improved by replacing paper with digital communications and allowing interaction with  a virtual town hall from home and business vs. travel by car and truck to physical energy consuming buildings. Similarly, School Building Repairs benefit from the same type of online service request system used for infrastructure with the added benefit of being able to share town and regional personnel, equipment and vendors to reduce the cost and time of maintenance and facility improvement actions. Finally, available Broadband and wireless communication connections enable the interactions of eTown. Digitized Records in the form of land and property information, codes and standards, plans and strategies, and meeting proposals and decisions provide the context for enabling residents, businesses and town officials to drive continuous improvements. In summary, eTown is the realization of the “New Deal” vision. Fortunately, the building blocks are all available and the stimulus incentives are in place for any town to become an eTown.

Welcome to etownblog.org, a Web site created as a public-service  information resource regarding municipal cost savings through better, more efficient local government.

This site is hosted and moderated by Progeos, a web-based software company dedicated to municipal cost savings and improved services.   As part of our mission we have devoted a portion of our resources to help create this conduit to information, collaboration and cost savings measures to help towns and cities across the United States.

Please read through the posts on this blog for links and stories about municipal cost saving measures.

And — please — take a moment to contribute your input, information links, and other valuable data that you come across.  Together, let’s help expand the scope of knowledge for the public’s benefit.

Sincerely,

The Moderators of etownblog.org

I was just reading an article about a consultant who recommended reducing the local town budget by sharing maintenance services between the town and the local school system. Although I don’t know how much sharing is possible based on needs, timing,  and equipment/ material demands, it’s worth considering. For example, snow and leaf removal, grounds maintenance, and some building maintenance would appear to have common needs. Also, the ability to reduce costs by combining cleaning services and supplies also appear feasible. However, the realization of benefits requires an integrated approach to requesting, processing and executing requests that spans the different environments and jurisdictions of the municipal and educational systems. Web based service request management can provide the vehicle for linking these environments but the hard work of agreeing on services, processes, responsibilities and  ”who pays for what” still remains. From my perspective, the hard work is justified. The savings appear to be large and, done appropriately, service can improve for both our children and our towns.

The summer months are upon us and the local news is full of reports on Town Hall “short weeks.” Although this is good for the budget, it can have negative effects on local residents and businesses. The inability to request services on weekends and now Fridays or Mondays can make it difficult, particularly if you work or run a business that requires town support. But this issue results from “brick and mortar” town hall processes. When services can be requested from the web, these limitations disappear if town processes and employees are “web enabled”. For example, many permits can be applied and paid for via the web. Although physical inspections and drawings may be required for some permits, much of the application and tracking process can still occur 24 x7. If the inspectors and other department personnel are connected to the web, appointments, reviews and approvals become much more flexible.

The same also holds for other service requests, such as repairs or removals, that can be made over the web and responded to at any time. With the reducing cost of web connected phones and other devices, more and more citizens and town personnel can connect forming a virtual town hall that costs less to maintain but serves local citizens and businesses better than before!

Progeos, a Connecticut based municipal software and technology firm, has distributed a recent press release that describes their newest low-cost, web-based municipal software.  This new this new technology is aimed at saving municipalities countless dollars in software and technology costs while at the same time improving access and efficiency.

Towns across America discover a Web-based system from Progeos that dramatically reduces land and property management expenses.

80% less installation cost than traditional systems. Leverages a town’s existing technology. Operates with a simple Web browser and PDF reader.

HARTFORD–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Progeos (www.progeos.com), a Connecticut-based municipal software and technology firm, continues to help America’s towns and cities “reinvent government” with a suite of Web-based GIS (Geographic Information System) enabled, e-government services that can save municipalities significant operating expenses, month after month.

Savings occur immediately.

The Progeos system eliminates the need for traditional hardware and software systems. Progeos leverages a municipality’s existing technology, and can be up and running in just days — not the months traditionally required.

Progeos harnesses the efficiencies of the Web.

As the system is entirely Web based, any computer equipped with a Web browser and a simple PDF reader can become a powerful GIS workstation.

Fully modular. Implement only what’s needed — and expand at any time.

Progeos provides plug ‘n’ play services for:

· GIS based land management

· Property management: property look up, abutters lists

· Request management: entering, processing, and executing service requests

· Permit management: creation and tracking of permits

· Code management: code tracking and enforcement

More than money savings. Progeos provides new sources of revenue for your town.

For instance, online Permit Management lets residents apply and get approvals for the vast majority of all of your town’s permit requirements. Create a 24/7 “Virtual Town Hall” for an automated, around-the-clock, profit center — while your residents enjoy enhanced services.

Affordable by any municipality.

Until now, only large cities could afford such advanced GIS capabilities. But now, for a fraction of the cost, Progeos gives your town the tools to save money, generate revenue, and enhance community services. For more information, please visit www.progeos.com.

Contact:

Progeos, Inc.

Matt Schleicher, 860-896-5274

matts@progeos.com

Another topic being discussed for municipal cost savings is the idea of combining some municipal services that may be repeated across several departments.  These redundant services and operations may exist within the same department or between school and municipal departments.  Municipalities across the country are trying to cut or limit known redundant services which could include HR, IT, and purchasing.

It is not just local governments that are thinking about shared services to create cost savings.  Many state governments, including New York State’s Division of Local Government Services are providing aid to municipalities to research any possible cost savings that may arise with the implementation of shared services.  New York State has awarded over 13.5 million dollars to local and county governments to study proposed shared services.

Some of these projects include:

• The Village of Lyndonville and the Town of Yates will work cooperatively to conduct a study to examine the potential cost savings, efficiency and improved levels of service associated with consolidating service delivery and potentially merging the two municipalities into a single entity.
• The cities of Port Jervis and Middletown in Orange County, New York will enter into an inter-municipal agreement for the joint acquisition and shared use of capital equipment.
• The Town of Newstead and Village of Akron in Erie County plan to implement the study recommendation of building a shared highway facility.  By constructing a joint highway facility, Newstead and Akron will save taxpayer dollars, conserve resources, streamline and improve efficiency of operations.
• The City of Batavia and Genesee County are merging the Batavia police information system and the Batavia dispatch operations into a county-wide unified dispatch and information system.
• The Town of North Hempstead will install ‘Great Net’ a web-based intranet platform that would link all villages on the Great Neck Peninsula, the Town of North Hempstead, special districts, fire districts, OEM, and more, all on one common space.  (information from: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lgss/smsi/smsi2007-08winners.html)

These projects involve a number of different components of municipal government from infrastructure and capital equipment to personnel and technology.  To read about more shared services projects visit New York State’s Shared Municipal Services Incentive Grant Program website

In the previous post we mentioned the work taking place in the state of New York concerning the study and implementation of shared municipal services.  As we know, when done correctly, shared services can save towns and counties valuable tax dollars.  Some examples of shared services include municipalities sharing costs on expensive capital projects that benefit both towns, the regionalization of emergency dispatching services or shared information technology services.

In Connecticut the state government and regional planning agencies have worked together to implement shared services throughout central Connecticut.  The state has set aside grants for a number of purposes with the intention of lowering costs and improving efficiency for regional projects.

One of the lead agencies in the development of these shared services projects is the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG).  CRCOG provides member municipalities guidance when applying for these grants and provides and “excellent opportunity for CRCOG member communities to obtain grant funding for a wide variety of projects.”

The grants target the following areas including IT Application Sharing and Development, Enhancement of Regional GIS and GIS Flight and Mapping Data.

To learn more about these Regional Performance Incentive Program Grants visit CRCOG’s website or view this presentation.