etownblog.org

With municipalities cutting back on office hours due to budget cuts the services associated with going to town hall are being limited.  With e-government, many of the services that are offered in town hall can become available over the internet. Whether you need to apply for a permit for an outdoor fire, pay your taxes or notify the town about a maintenance issue these services are all slowly coming online across the country.

But, there is an entity that is well ahead of the curve when it comes to providing municipal services over the internet.  Many colleges and universities are active in the development of online services for their students, faculty and staff.  For example, many university building departments have online service request tools that allow faculty, students and staff to submit work orders over the internet.  These work orders are then processed by the maintenance department, keeping the facilities in great condition and keeping faculty, students and staff happy.  Many universities also allow students to pay for tuition over the internet, a practice very similar to paying for taxes over the internet.  There are several great examples of these types of tools, but many are restricted to campus use.  These tools have turned these offices into a 24/7 service, making the office more accessible to all of the population.

Why can’t more local governments provide simialr online services?  With online tools that cover a number of municipal services operating hours at town hall could be cut back.  A majority of Americans have regular access to the internet either at home or work, meaning that they have 24/7 access to those services that were once only available in person during regular business hours.

Lets take a page from our local universities and start thinking about the impact that online access to municipal services will have on the public.