Government Reform – Page 2

Global Benefits Management Program

Problem

Public employee benefits are often managed by different agencies, often with different goals and objectives. As a result, the customer experience varies significantly. In addition, the fine points of health and retirement benefits can be difficult to understand and can interfere with employees making optimum decisions for career advancement and retirement.

Solution

State Treasurer Cowell is in the process of merging state health benefits and state retirement benefits under common leadership to create a global benefits program. By combining the NC State Health Plan and the NC Retirement Benefits program, the state will be able to share data and data analytics capabilities, develop unified customer experience strategies, and develop more effective outreach opportunities. Ultimately, the Treasurer hopes to help employees develop a better sense of their financial and physical health and make the best possible benefit choices for their future success.

County and Municipal Fiscal Analysis Dashboard

Problem

Local government officials are tasked with monitoring and reporting on the financial positions of government but have lacked a method of quickly comparing themselves to peer governments. As a result, it can be difficult for governments to benchmark financial performance and learn best practices related to financial management.

Solution

State Treasurer Cowell implemented the County and Municipal Fiscal Analysis Dashboard, an online tool that helps citizens and public officials evaluate the financial condition of a selected local government on various dimensions of resource flow and stock for governmental activities, general fund, water and sewer fund, and electric fund. This tool allows local governments to learn and implement best practices in financial management, increases government transparency and engages a broader citizen base to help build constituent trust in government.

Mayor’s Neighborhood University

Problem

City government is on the front line in every neighborhood, but to be effective, it is important to to give a voice to young leaders and help cultivate the next generation of neighborhood leaders who will work to move our city forward.

Solution

The City of Tampa recently launched a “Mayor’s Neighborhood University”, a 12-week course modeled after a local Chamber of Commerce program for business professionals. During the program, participants learn about how City Government operates, as well as gain skills to help establish and maintain successful neighborhood organizations.

Landlord Training

Problem

Like in many cities after the recession, more housing units within the City of Tampa became rental properties, instead of owner-occupied. This resulted in an increasing number of code violations, including illegal dumping and other problems.

Solution

In the Fall of 2013, the City of Tampa launched the Landlord Training program to educate property managers and landlords about the city’s code of ordinances, how to keep properties safe, and how to navigate city procedures. The program’s goal is to help prevent code violations in the City’s rental communities.

Public Investment Action Plan

Problem

More than half of Burlington’s waterfront is currently underutilized. Previous attempts for redevelopment have stalled for over a decade because of a lack of political consensus and constituent agreement.

Solution

Over the course of 2013 the City of Burlington ran a public, transparent, interactive competition to determine how to invest nearly $10 million in TIF investments for the redevelopment of their Lake Champlain waterfront. The competition — open to all individuals and organizations including City departments and private businesses — generated 120 new ideas, new partnerships, and public excitement and consensus about the five selected projects that will be enacted this year.

First State Business Integration

Problem

Many business owners are burdened by the need to comply with numerous regulations, spending too much time filling out duplicate information for various forms/permits and taking time away from managing and expanding their business.

Solution

Rep. Short believes that utilizing cloud computing can streamline Delaware’s permit process to support existing businesses and further business start-ups by helping them identify what they need to be in compliance. He is proposing to allow state, county and municipal governments to download information for a business that is common in their applications for licenses and permits. This common information could be filled out once by the company and then uploaded for retrieval by authorized entities that would then be able to have their required forms/permits/licensing auto-filled, saving time and resources.

Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) with a Mission

Problem

Government budgets are often updated each year based on historical trends rather than adjusting for current needs. This antiquated system of budgeting does not allow governments to find the most effective and efficient ways to serve the needs of their citizens.

Solution

Zero-Based Budgeting with a Mission uses the budget development process to focus government activities on core missions, establish performance measures, and align the organizational structure to the mission, resulting in a transparent, efficient, and effective blueprint for the delivery of services. Each County Department is asked to identify their core mission, identify and eliminate current activities which are outside the mission, and build budgets from the bottom up to meet identified goals.

Denver Peak Performance

Problem

Government often relies on outside experts and hiring consultants to improve city systems and advise city employees on how to do their jobs better. By focusing only on this outsider, top-down approach, government is spending more money on solving its problems and not inspiring a culture of innovation and trust in government amongst city employees.

Solution

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock launched Peak Performance to invest in Denver’s employees by giving them the tools to solve city problems. Peak offers classes to city employees to help them identify areas for improvement and embrace a new culture of innovation to provide the best service possible. By empowering city employees to find their own straightforward reforms, Mayor Hancock has restored public trust in government, while making city projects run more efficiently and save money.

Chattanooga Open Data

Problem

Currently the City of Chattanooga has very limited data made public to its citizens, hindering citizen engagement and trust in government.

Solution

Mayor Berke is working to release unprecedented amounts of public data in the city to spur civic innovation and economic growth. From interactive budgeting tools, to applications that show where road closures are — open public data empowers the local development community to help solve difficult civic problems. Through a strong partnership with the Public Library, Chattanooga is also investing in an independent platform to host all community data (nonprofits, private businesses, community organizers)– not just government. The Library will also be an independent advocate for high-quality open data, which is invaluable for the long-term future of government transparency in Chattanooga.

Town-Square Schools

Problem

Too often Cincinnati public school facilities were sitting unused after school hours, while there was a prevalent need in the surrounding communities for additional academic support and resources for students and their families.

Solution

City Councilmember Sittenfeld helped facilitate the creation of Town-Square Schools in Cincinnati to transform underutilized school facilities into round-the-clock neighborhood hubs, offering after-school programming, health resources, adult education, and recreational opportunities for students, their families, and the surrounding community. By bringing community resources into the schools, this approach has helped students get the extra support they need to be successful and helped build strong community partnerships to better maximize current resources to serve the needs of each neighborhood.

Global Benefits Management Program

Problem

Solution

County and Municipal Fiscal Analysis Dashboard

Problem

Solution

Mayor’s Neighborhood University

Problem

Solution

Landlord Training

Problem

Solution

Public Investment Action Plan

Problem

Solution

First State Business Integration

Problem

Solution

Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) with a Mission

Problem

Solution

Denver Peak Performance

Problem

Solution

Chattanooga Open Data

Problem

Solution

Town-Square Schools

Problem

Solution

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