Completed E-Gov Projects
Utility Billing
online
This was one of the first e-gov projects undertaken and allows water customers to view their current and past utility bill information online. Information about charges, payments, adjustments, and usage is available for multiple years. Graphs of water usage enable comparisons to previous months and years. Information seen by the customer is the same current data seen by customer service reps. There is also a link to Official Payments Corporation website that permits online payment of the utility bill. Customers are assessed a flat $3.95 credit card service fee when paying online.
New users must register for the service to enter their email address and preferred password. Approximately 3,400 utility billing customers are currently registered for this service. The next projected improvement on this system is to email customers rather than sending a printed utility bill.
Building permits
These are two related but separate applications. The online building permit system allows contractors to view information about issued permits, scheduled inspections and inspection results, fees, and plan review. In similar fashion to the utility billing application, the online building permits application retrieves live up-to-date data from the building permits database used by staff.
Contractors must enter the permit number and PIN number (printed on the permit) in order to retrieve this information.
Wireless inspection Results
A companion web application is also available for inspectors to view scheduled inspections for the day and also allows inspectors to result the inspection in the field. Using PDAs or web-enabled cell phones inspectors connect to this application with Internet Explorer to view and/or result the day’s inspections. Resulted inspections immediately update the building permit system application with the data.
Status: This system has been replaced by the Selectron IVR system for posting inspection results from the field.
Selectron®
IVR System for Building Inspections
This interactive voice response (IVR) system offers another way for contractors and inspectors to receive information on building inspections and results. Rather than using a web application for information retrieval the Selectron system is strictly a telephone-based system.
With their permit number and PIN code, contractors are guided through the system with a series of voice prompts to schedule inspections, request cancellation of a scheduled inspection, or hear the results of completed inspections. A call-back module can also automatically call the contractor immediately when the inspection is completed.
Using the same system inspectors can also call in to enter the results of a completed inspection. Since only a desk phone or cell phone is needed to access the system, inspection results can easily be updated in the field.
The Selectron IVR system consists of a computer server, telephone lines to the server, and interfacing software to link the IVR system to the existing building permit system. Additional design was performed on the City Siemens/Rolm system to allow callers to wait-in-queue if all lines are busy.
Web-based agenda
Using primarily existing software tools this system has run very successfully for the past couple of years. An agenda template in MS Word® format is created for the weekly commission meeting containing all the agenda items. Supporting materials such as plats, correspondence, and presentations are hyperlinked to the appropriate agenda item. The resulting file of agenda materials is then converted to html format and copied to the city website. Both commissioners and citizens have immediate access to the same materials where they may view the agenda online or download the entire agenda packet.
WebTrac recreation class enrollment
WebTrac is the online interface to the
Thus far for the fall 2006 enrollment approximately 60% of enrollments have been completed via this website with usage increasing every year. Credit card service fees for online payment are not charged back to the customer for two reasons: (1) walk-in enrollments paid for by credit card were not charged a service fee and the department wanted to continue absorbing the credit card fee in the online enrollment system, and (2) since paying by credit card is the only way to pay for classes online the department wanted to encourage this method of enrollment by absorbing the credit card service fee.
Employee intranet
The employee intranet grew out of a need to better access documents and forms that were stored on the Citydata computer server. Rather than navigate through Network Neighborhood folders to find information the Admin Services wanted a better way to organize and present this information. The Intranet is largely a central employee portal with links to information that may reside on different computers. Information is categorized into News and Announcements, City Information, Employee Information, Organizations, and Departments.
A recent redesign and coding has resulted in a better-looking and better organized employee Intranet. Along with the more pleasing appearance recent additions to the Intranet has been the much improved VISA Entries Graphic Interface (VEGI) system for departmental approval of VISA transactions and the new ArcIMS GIS viewer software.
GIS online mapping
(Demonstration)
Up to this point all of the city GIS information for Internet viewing has been hosted by the Data Access and Support Center (DASC) on the KU campus. DASC housed the server and application for viewing GIS information via the web and the city periodically sent updated information to DASC for display.
A recent purchase of ArcIMS (Internet Map Server) now permits the city to host GIS information for both Intranet and Internet viewing. In addition to hosting this information at City Hall, the new ArcIMS viewer provides much improved tools for viewing and managing the information. Currently this new system is only available on the city Intranet but is scheduled to also be placed on the lawrenceks.org website shortly.
Online job
applications
A software system called PC Recruiter™ has been purchased by Administrative Services that allows job applicants to complete city job applications from a website. All the information from the online applications is then stored in a database that can be used for reference checking, interview selections, resumès storage, and ultimately hiring. It is desired for the information on newly hired employees to be copied from PC Recruiter into the payroll system thus eliminating the need for personnel to manually key information for the new hires.
Status: From an IT perspective this system is installed and ready to begin using. However due to personnel shortages in the Personnel office it is not anticipated that this application will be launched until after a new recruiter position is filled in September.
Special Assessments
This system was developed based upon a request from the real estate community to know which properties had special assessments associated with them. A system was setup to permit searching either by address or plate number to find either certified or pending special assessments on properties. Certified special assessment data is updated to this database annually after county certification. Pending special assessments are updated as necessary throughout the year as new benefit districts are established.
Business License renewal
This application
allows users to view license information on the web and optionally renew an
existing license and pay by credit card.
Viewing license information does not require a password but renewing a
license requires a PIN number for access.
Currently this
application is ready to launch pending Administrative Services approval. One key factor in launching this application
will be notifying license holders of the PIN numbers.
Potential
New E-Gov Projects
Legal Notices
online: Legal notices currently published in the
newspaper at City expense could be instead placed on the City website. A similar process is done in
Public Documents
online: Documents such as contracts and agreements
could be placed online for citizen review.
Documents that only exist on paper would need to be scanned and
converted to HTML or pdf for web publishing.
This would involve adding additional modules and web support to the
city’s OnBase document management system.
Utility Billing
online improvements: Add the ability to email utility customers
when their bills are ready for viewing online.
This is available in version 4.0 of HTE’s utility billing system.
Online Employee
Paystubs: Create secure password-protected site that
contains bi-weekly employee paystub information in lieu of printed
paystubs. Past paystub info would be
archived. Feedback from ERC indicates
that this should be an optional service to employees due to the high number of
employees without computer access.
Citizen Request/Work
Orders online: From our website, citizens could select from
various categories of issues (e.g. potholes, dog-at-large, trash pickup, etc),
enter the pertinent address and contact information and route the “work order”
to the appropriate departmental contact.
The database would track all actions pertaining to the original request
and provide reporting capabilities on the collected data.
311 Call Center:
Similar in concept to 911 but 311 is designed as a single number for
citizens to call for non-emergency business.
311 may be installed in different configurations but is most commonly
setup as a call center where several appropriately trained employees receive
the 311 calls and provide information or route the call to the appropriate
department. 311 call systems may also be
integrated with a complaint tracking or work order system such that a 311 call
can also initiate a citizen request work order ticket for follow-up.
Time and Attendance:
A more automated method to replace employee-completed written timesheets
was desired. Software options are
currently being investigated by a small committee led by
Agenda Management: The current system of preparing the city commission agenda packets uses various software components and processes that do not always flow as smoothly as desired. An agenda management system combines all of the agenda items, workflows, approvals, and publication into a single integrated system. A demonstration of the Novus Agenda Manager system has been arranged to see how our current process might be improved.
Naviline graphical interface: Approved in the 2007 budget Naviline will allow all HTE applications (GMBA, payroll, utility billing, building permits, code enforcement, etc.) to be accessed by Internet Explorer. Information will then be displayed in a graphical Windows format. Information in the “green screen” environment that took several screens to display would now combined into a single tabbed Windows screen with the Naviline interface. Users may still access HTE applications in the traditional green screen environment as well or use both green screen and Internet Explorer access.
E-gov II Surveys: Other potential applications will be identified at the conclusion of departmental and community surveys to be completed in 2006.