Agenda - 11-08-2012 - 7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 in the approach to the end user as a customer. The technology department should continue to engage in providing high-quality services to its customers, both internal and external. In addition, customer feedback should be solicited at regular intervals to encourage communication and positive changes. • Economic Development: Without fail, economic development has become a critical topic in county government. At the heart of economic development is infrastructure, and technology is no longer an optional infrastructure enhancement, but rather, as central to economic development recruitment as water and sewer lines. • Strategic Sourcing: Orange County has an incredible cadre of talented public servants. However, the County has long realized that outsourcing and contracting with subject matter experts is critical to extend the reach of government. In terms of technology, Orange County should work with public-private partnerships to enhance technological capacities. Approximately 20-25 percent of technology work can be successfully outsourced without detrimental effects to the County. This outsourcing should be strategic and used as a means to supplement the current staff expertise on short-term projects. Outsourcing is not a viable solution for replacing mission-critical staff, as a means to reduce permanent headcount. Some tasks to consider for strategic sourcing include cabling for new and existing facilities and programming needs that only emerge periodically. • Responsive Government:This trend is characterized by the need to develop a new type of local government complete with new ways of doing business based on innovation and positive change. Technology plays an essential role in creating a self-service government that is interactive, timely, and relevant regardless of the time of access or distance of the customer. For example, citizens highly regard various forms of self-service, such as online registration for Parks and Recreation classes, online pet registration, online bill payment, and online citizen request forms. • Transparency and Accountability: One major trend across the various levels of government in the US is a renewed focus on transparency and accountability. By allowing citizens greater access to data and information about the government, its decision-making processes, and its performance measures, governments seek to enhance public trust and create opportunities for value-add engagement. • Use of Technology: Technology is used by forward-thinking governments to continually enhance service delivery and foster a "work smarter not harder" approach. For example, inspectors and public safety personnel having access to electronic information in the field can substantially improve results in each area, with a reduction in downtime due to travel between locations and the main County facilities for data transfer. In addition, the advent of Social Media has fundamentally altered the way citizens are choosing to engage with governments. Many residents use Facebook as a mechanism to gather governmental information and to participate in their communities virtually. 5