IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Two Michigan counties have been singled out for using technology to improve services for businesses and citizens. From a field of 150 entrants across the nation, Kent County and Washtenaw County were ranked among the top ten counties for eGovernment services in their respective population categories in the 2003 Digital Counties Survey. Kent and Washtenaw Counties were the only governments in Michigan to be recognized by the Digital Counties Survey, which provides the most comprehensive analysis of eGovernment services at the county level. The study was conducted jointly by the Center for Digital Government, the National Association of Counties (NACo), and Government Technology magazine.

Kent County tied for seventh place among counties with a population of 500,000 or greater, while Washtenaw County was ranked 10th among counties with 250,000 - 499,999 residents. All counties in the United States are eligible to participate, and government officials are required to complete a lengthy questionnaire and provide validating background data as part of the survey.

Both counties offer an array of digital government services through their award-winning official Web sites. Kent County's AccessKent portal (www.accessKent.com) was launched in April 2001 and features several online transaction services, including accident report and certified vital record requests, property and parcel lookups, and deeds searches.

Launched in April 2002, Washtenaw County's official Web site (www.eWashtenaw.org) provides online certified vital record requests, construction permitting, traffic ticket payments, and several other eGovernment services. The official Web sites for Washtenaw and Kent Counties were built and are managed by Michigan Local Interactive, a Grand Rapids-based subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).

"Kent County is committed to using technology to get results, and we're proud that our efforts to further enhance customer service have been singled out," said Daryl Delabbio, Kent County's Administrator and Controller. "Our goal is to apply technology where it can benefit the most people in our county, and we will continue to focus on building cost-effective eGovernment solutions that our citizens will use."

"Washtenaw County has made rapid advances in eGovernment during the last few years, and it's clear that our citizens and businesses are the primary beneficiaries," said Robert E. Guenzel, Washtenaw County Administrator. "Electronic government saves time and money, and we intend to use technology to help our constituents conduct every conceivable type of business with the County over the Internet."

"We are proud to be a part of the digital government solutions offered by Kent and Washtenaw Counties," said JoAnn Arcand, general manager of Michigan Local Interactive. "It's a pleasure to work with two governments with such progressive eGovernment agendas."

Quelle: Business Wire