[The following article appears in the January, 1994 edition of _Public_Sector_Quality_Report_, pages 1 through 4.] TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS HONORED BY PTI What better way to kick off a new year than with a quick look at a host of leading-edge technological and management innovations that are helping local governments save money and serve customers more effectively? From on-demand fax systems to information-dispensing kiosks, 12 local governments were honored in December with the 1993 Technology Achievement Awards, presented by Public Technology, Inc. PTI is the non-profit research, development, and commercialization arm of the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and the International City/County Management Association. Its annual award competition, which attracted 320 entries last year, is intended to spur and recognize local government innovation. In addition to the 12 award winners, 21 entrants were cited for special mention. Following is a brief overview of the winners and special mention recipients, broken down in four categories as designated by PTI: REVOLUTIONIZING SERVICES ù Arlington County, VA: The county upgraded its INFOBOT telephone response system to allow more efficient collection of personal property taxes. County taxpayers can use credit cards to pay taxes via the touch-tone phone system. The system verifies credit card information, computes the amount due, downloads data to the Treasurer's office, and automatically updates the county's financial and personal property tax records. INFOBOT is credited with streamlining the county's tax billing and payment processes, and with spurring extensive use of credit cards by taxpayers. CONTACT: Francis X. O'Leary, Arlington County Treasurer, (703)358-3255. ù Oakland, CA: The city created InfoFax--a 24-hour, automated fax request/delivery system--to improve customer access to government forms, documents, and information. Callers review a menu of report/form codes, request information, and receive the information via fax within 45 seconds. Cost to create InfoFax was minimal because the city simply added voice ports and a fax card to an existing personal computer. CONTACT: Gregg Obuch, Telecommunications Manager, City of Oakland, (510) 238-6900. ù Rochester (NY) Police: The department cleared a three- to six-month backlog on accident reports and reduced report processing time by as much as 33 percent with a computer system which faxes accident reports to insurance companies. Accident reports are scanned into a computer daily, stored in digital form on magnetic disk, then transferred later to optical disk. A program connects the report images to a database, which can be used to display, print, or fax the report to the insurance company. CONTACT: Richard Babin, Information Systems Unit, Rochester Police Dept., (716) 428-7182. ù San Diego, CA: The city created a 24-hour Automated Benefits Enrollment System which lets city employees choose benefits coverage and authorize payroll deductions via touch-tone phone, thus giving human resources staff more time to deliver substantive services to city workers. CONTACT: Hedy R. Griffiths, Risk Management Dept., City of San Diego, (619) 236-5975. Special Mention ù Metro-Dade County (FL) Police are using a flexible plastic polymer to create three-dimensional casts of injuries sustained by victims of violence. The casts preserve soft-tissue wounds, creating a permanent record which can serve as physical evidence in court presentations and help crime analysts match wound patterns to murder weapons with great accuracy. ù Cincinnati (OH) Metropolitan Sewer District replaced "coarse bubble" diffusers at its Mill Creek wastewater treatment plant with a "fine bubble" system. The retrofit uses at least 53 percent less energy. ù Long Beach, CA, installed the Autoscope 2003 Video Vehicle Detection System at two major intersections. Video cameras at the intersections transmit real-time signals and digital data directly to the city's Traffic Control Center, where personnel monitor, control, and change traffic patterns on personal computers. Unlike embedded intersection loops more commonly used for vehicle detection, this system requires minimal maintenance and offers an almost unlimited range of lane reconfiguration options. Long Beach also won special mention for an on-line, predictive dialing system which allows more efficient collection of delinquent accounts. The system combines an "intelligent" dialing system and the city's mainframe debtor database. When making collection calls, the system dials phone numbers and routes a call to a debt collector only after a human voice is detected on the other end of the line. The system minimizes unproductive calls to unattended phones, answering machines, busy signals, etc. ù Norfolk, VA, is using portable grid computers to integrate Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The computers let fire engines and ambulances interface to avoid billing, collections, and record-keeping inconsistencies. Fire and rescue personnel also can download patient data directly to administrative offices and hospitals, eliminating paperwork. ù Palo Alto, CA, established Library Link, an adaptive equipment center which lets customers with disabilities access library materials more easily and independently. The center includes a large-print "talking" computer catalog, readers for the blind, page-enlargers for the visually impaired, and a fax machine. ù Phoenix, AZ, implemented a Daily Activity and Record Tracking System (D.A.R.T.S) for its Reserve-A-Ride transportation program, which serves elderly and disabled customers. The new database tracks service data in order to pinpoint inefficiencies in the system. Better efficiency has allowed the service to provide 10,000 more one-way trips in FY 1992-93 than in '91-'92, with no budget increase. ù Rochester, NY, has developed a computer-based simulation testing program for civil service applicants. The program requires the test taker to think through and respond to an unfolding series of simulated, on-the-job developments. PROMOTING WELL-CONNECTED GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITIES ù Fort Collins, CO: The city is pursuing an extensive Public Access strategy to make local government more accessible and accountable to citizens. In partnership with other local agencies, the city has developed a multi-media public information kiosk system. The city also provides 24-hour, dial-in access to its public library catalog and has linked public school audiences with public library materials. The city also is gearing up to take its place on the "information superhighway" of the future by replacing several leased telecommunication lines with fiber cabling, saving $40,000 annually. Meanwhile, the city is encouraging its local cable TV provider to upgrade its physical plant to support future viewer services. CONTACT: Alix Gotthard, Information Technology Manager, City of Fort Collins, (303) 221-6524. ù Montgomery County, MD: The county implemented a Contractor Quality and Commissioning program, something akin to the vendor certification programs common in private sector quality management initiatives. The program is designed to monitor the quality of materials and workmanship in government construction projects, promote timely completion of projects, and train/equip county personnel to properly maintain completed facilities. The program uses a three-phase control and deficiency tracking process to monitor general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. It requires contractors to submit advanced computer projections of construction progress before receiving payment. Using its new strategy, the county has overseen accurate, timely, within-budget completion of seven major projects. CONTACT: Fred C. Edwards, Chief, Capital Projects Management Div., (301) 217-6118. ù Phoenix, AZ: The city enacted an Environment Products Procurement Resolution and is making major strides across all city departments in achieving environmental goals. Public Works improved its battery management procedures and reduced tire disposal by expanding its tire recapping and rubberized-asphalt testing efforts. The city's Purchasing division is developing new contracts for recycled paper products. The city has installed recycled plastic benches in its parks and uses mulch from processed yard waste on its parks and other properties. CONTACT: Karen O'Regan, Office of Environmental Programs, City of Phoenix, (602) 256-5669. ù San Antonio, TX: The city has launched Project A.C.C.E.S.S. the Future, a comprehensive effort to combat illiteracy, which has been running at a rate of l-in-4 among San Antonio citizens. The project entailed opening learning and leadership development centers in four of the city's neediest neighborhoods. The centers offer GED preparation, basic education, citizenship training, English as a second language, and exposure to computers. To date the centers have served 4,674 people, 2,704 of whom have earned GED certificates. As part of the effort, the San Antonio Education Partnership (a coalition of government, education, churches, business) is attempting to reduce high school dropout rates by offering college scholarships and vocational job placements to high achievers with good attendance records. Since 1989, the partnership has placed 1,840 high school graduates in colleges and universities and 421 in skilled jobs. CONTACT: Joseph (Roy) Kaiser, Social Services Manager, City of San Antonio, (210) 299-7227. Special Mention ù Cincinnati, OH, partnered with surrounding Hamilton County and local utility companies to manage and maintain CAGIS, a shared digital map of Hamilton County highway, bridge, water, and property infrastructures. ù Clark County, NV, adopted the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) as its standard reference for vertical surveying computations. The county then worked with all county jurisdictions to ensure uniform application of the standard, which allows better coordination and execution of multi-jurisdictional and public-private capital improvement projects. ù Oakland, CA, implemented a regional 800 MHz trunked radio system, enhancing interagency and trans-jurisdictional cooperation during emergencies and lowering emergency communication costs for all participants in the region. ù Orange County, FL, developed a Human Resource Recovery Program which provides intensive addictions counseling, life skills and anger management training, and education/vocational schooling to county inmates. The program is designed to prepare inmates to live productive, responsible lifestyles upon release. ù Phoenix, AZ, implemented a bicycle recycling program. Under the program, city departments, community organizations, and citizen volunteers repair abandoned or donated bikes at an average cost of less than $7 each. Repaired bikes have been distributed to more than 520 needy children and 50 low-income adults. ù San Carlos, CA, established a Cost Avoidance Reserve fund, a portion of the city's General Fund reserves to be used only for projects and purchases which reduce the cost of city operations. ù San Diego, CA, joined with San Diego County to form a Recycling Market Development Zone. The venture offers relocation incentives to recycled product manufacturers. Those incentives have lured several such businesses to San Diego. ù Scottsdale, AZ, partnered with city schools and a local hospital to create the Scottsdale Prevention Institute. The institute custom-designs prevention and intervention programs for the city's schools. Subjects covered include teen suicide, pregnancy, substance abuse, delinquency, underachievement, and gang involvement. EDUCATING FOR THE FUTURE Lincoln (NE) Fire Department: The department developed a model house to teach children the dangers of smoke in house fires. When filled with smoke from burning incense, the "Visible House" graphically depicts how smoke spreading through a burning building might endanger occupants. The house also demonstrates how positive-pressure ventilation equipment quickly clears the building of smoke. The house cost less than $300 to build and has proven a highly effective teaching tool. CONTACT: Arnie Hart, Deputy Chief, Lincoln Fire Dept., (402) 441-8368. ù Sarasota County, FL: The county is developing a Florida House Conservation Learning Center to educate citizens about ways to cut home energy and water consumption by more than 50 percent. The center will include two model homes--one traditional, the other built with energy-efficient, environment-friendly living in mind. The homes will feature recycled and low-toxin construction materials and energy-efficient plumbing and appliances. Grounds will be maintained using methods which minimize the use of water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Partnerships among more than 100 organizations generated the money to build the center. CONTACT: Michael J. Holsinger, Director, Sarasota County Extension Service, (813) 951-4240. Special Mention ù Oakland, CA, created an Accelerated Disaster Mapping System (ADAMS) Manual, which fully documents the city's comprehensive geographic Information System (GIS). The manual helps other cities develop similar GIS systems more rapidly, thereby enhancing the entire region's ability to respond to potential emergencies, such as the catastrophic fire which struck the area in 1991. ù Prince George's County, MD, is developing GIS-based flood management and water quality models which will help staff better and more quickly control storm water flooding problems. PURSUING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS ù Palo Alto, CA: The city generated new revenue by leasing occupancy of conduits located within its roadways and other public rights of way to Digital Equipment Corp (DEC). This allowed DEC to link its five Palo Alto buildings via 32-strand fiber optic cable at one-third the cost of doing so through the local phone company. DEC pays the city an annual license fee of $6,000. DEC also installed a second cable for the city at one-fourth the normal cost of such an installation. The cable is described as the foundation of a high-speed communication network that the city will someday market to other private sector partners. CONTACT: Dianah Neff, Director, Information Resources, City of Palo Alto, (415) 329-2313. ù Santa Barbara, CA: The city introduced a Downtown-Waterfront Electric Shuttle, eight open-air electric vehicles which travel along a three-mile route between the beach and downtown. The shuttles (estimated to be half as expensive and 95 percent less polluting than diesel-fueled buses) offer a "clean" transit alternative to a daily ridership of more than 2,000 during peak tourist season. CONTACT: George Gerth, Transportation and Parking Manager, Santa Barbara Public Works Dept., (805) 564-5385. Special Mention ù Albuquerque, NM, launched a major effort to reduce the amount of toxic pollutants leaked into its wastewater system. Working closely with local electroplating, jewelry, and photo processing companies, the city reduced silver discharges into the wastewater stream by at least 50 percent and thereby reduced costs at its central treatment facility. ù Montgomery County, MD, has begun marketing its engineering staff's energy expertise to public and private customers. Through its Montgomery Facilities Engineering Institute, the county has generated enough income to pay its engineers competitive salaries and bonuses and fund continued research and development. PTI will publish more than 320 entries from the 1993 Technology Achievement Awards competition in Solutions '93, which will be available in book and electronic format sometime in February. For more information about the publication, contact PTI. CONTACT: Public Technology, Inc., (800) 852-4934. [For more information or to subscribe, contact: Public Sector Quality Report 17733 Kingsway Path Lakeville, MN 55044-5209 Phone: 612-898-5058 Fax: 612-892-7710]