More E-Government & E-Commerce Plays

Citizens routinely complain that their tax dollars are wasted on government services that do not work. One way to both improve services and allow citizens to better hold officials accountable is to adopt information technology systems that assemble data on key government services. Improving access to information on the quality and efficiency of government services not only allows citizens to better assess performance, it allows elected officials to more readily identify problems and work more collaboratively across government agencies to make quicker, more informed decisions needed to better allocate resources and address problems.

During his tenure as mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, Martin O'Malley launched an initiative called CitiStat, which puts information technology to work to access and improve a wide array of city services. Building on the ComStat program, which drastically cut crime in New York City, CitiStat extended the focus beyond law enforcement and put the technology to work to marshal data on other city services including trash collection, housing and development, and public health. Some notable programs include: LeadStat, which monitors lead paint in older buildings; DrugStat, an evaluation of the effectiveness of drug treatment centers throughout the city; and KidStat, aimed at improving youth recreation facilities.

"We are going to do everything we can to make our government more open and transparent so that we understand what things are working, what things are not working, and how we can maximize the investment that the hard working people of our State make in the important work of state government." -- Governor Martin O'Malley, Maryland

Like ComStat, Baltimore's CitiStat is a system for providing immediate data in order to identify strengths and weaknesses in government's programs and departments. Data collected cover a wide range of topics, including the amount of overtime worked by employees, the frequency and type of citizen complaints, and response time to specific cases. For example, the Solid Waste Bureau reports on everything from missed trash pick-up complaints to the number of sick days taken by employees in a particular division. Top city officials meet biweekly with agency representatives to discuss the data, which have been put into maps and charts of the city. But the city leaders do not just read reports on the data. They use it to hold managers accountable on delivering results.

Baltimore's meetings go beyond simply reporting the data, as they evolve into problem-solving discussions that cut across bureaucratic department lines in a way that would otherwise only happen at annual budget meetings. As a result, city officials are able to better assess where assets can most effectively be used, cutting duplication across agencies and increasing their collaboration. And because the top officials are at one table, decisions can be made more quickly, rather than working through an intricate bureaucratic system. But most importantly, CitiStat adds accountability to city governing, as the mayor now has tools available to hold managers accountable for performance, and those managers have the same tools to more accurately define goals and assess their staff's progress toward them.

O'Malley also added a further innovation to CitiStat. Baltimore residents now have to remember only one number for all city services: 3-1-1. When a 3-1-1 call is received by the city, a new software system, called CitiTrack, will immediately mark the request with a tracking number, and then route it directly to the agency in the field. The call is then registered with CitiStat to ensure accountability.

Upon being elected governor of Maryland, O'Malley worked with the state legislature to pass StateStat in his first session. StateStat continuously evaluates State performance at the highest levels, giving opportunities to improve and align ongoing strategies. State managers meet with the Governor and his executive staff bi-weekly to report and answer any questions relating to agency performance and priority initiatives. Each week a comprehensive executive briefing is prepared based on key performance indicators from the customized data for each agency that highlights areas of concern. Strategies can then be developed by carefully analyzing data and monitoring performance trends. StateStat has helped Maryland focus on three of the governors top priorities including: making education central to economic growth; leading on environmental & energy reforms; and keeping Maryland safe.

Houston's former Mayor Lee Brown also created a 3-1-1 system. Known as ServiceStat, the system is linked to a CitiStat-style accountability mechanism and is an important way to reserve 9-1-1 emergency capabilities in case of terrorism or another large-scale crisis. Under Brown's approach, each department is required to submit data for a certain period to the ServiceStat team. The Solid Waste Management Department, for example, will submit data on everything from dirty alleys and missed trash pick up complaints to the number of sick days taken in a particular division and the overtime rate for workers in that division. An independent analyzing team will also review all data received, compare it to the report for the previous period and, critically, formulate questions designed to explain the data and highlight problem areas.

Essential to asking the right questions is understanding the broader goal and the long-term agenda for getting there. For that, quality data is also key. There are a number of such data-driven performance results models state and city officials are using to monitor progress toward long-term goals and ensure that citizens have the information they need to hold their public policymakers accountable.

Illinois' Public Accountability Project offers quantifiable indicators of progress toward defined goals. By making the information readily available online, the project facilitates informed decisionmaking in allocating state resources, helps government workers to be more results-oriented, and fosters an increased public awareness of program costs. A unique feature of Illinois' approach is its independent survey of voter attitudes toward government services, which is included online with the state's annual Public Accountability Report.

Performance goals will clearly vary with the needs and aspirations of city and state residents. While one of the three goals monitored by former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber's Performance Measures Advisory Board is "a natural environment not disturbed by other factors," other states may not value their environment as much. The point is that, by employing new technology to marshal data and present it in ways that ordinary people can understand, policymakers will be able to dramatically improve government performance in both the short and long term. For either immediately responding to government shortcomings or assessing progress toward long-term goals, adopting information technology to assemble data is key to government performance.

Resources for Action

Baltimore CitiStat
www.baltimorecity.gov/news/citistat/index.html

Illinois Public Accountability Project
http://www.ioc.state.il.us/Office/PAP/

Oregon Progress Board
http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/OPB/o

Additional Reading

Andrew Leigh and Rob Atkinson, "Breaking Down Bureaucratic Barriers," Progressive Policy Institute, November 2001
www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?
contentid=3966&knlgAreaID=140&subsecid=290

Ed Kilgore, "Targeting City Services Through Computer Mapping," Democratic Leadership Council, August 1, 2000
www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=1923&kaid=104&subid=117

Gerard Shields, "City Figures to Improve Efficiency," The Baltimore Sun, November 19, 2000
www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=2705&kaid=85&subid=65

Christopher Swope, "Restless for Results," Governing Magazine, April 1, 2001
http://governing.com/archive/2001/apr/omalley.txt

Mayor Martin O'Malley, "Baltimore: State of the City Address," February 1, 2001
www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?
contentid=250208&kaid=104&subid=117

Governor Martin O'Malley, "Governor O'Malley Signs Legislation to Make Government Work Again," Press Release, April 10, 2007 http://www.gov.state.md.us/pressreleases/070410.html

Contacts

Zoe Johnson
Secretary to the Oregon Progress Board
(503) 378-3201
zoe.a.johnson@state.or.us

Paul Weinstein
New Economy and Technology Project
Progressive Policy Institute
600 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 547-0001
pweinstein@ppionline.org