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| Courts and Legal Services |
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Residents in San Antonio, Texas, can avoid trips to the courthouse for minor traffic violations through a new videoconferencing program. Video Court allows residents to appear before a municipal court judge remotely by camera in a community link center to argue their case. The method may save time and increase the comfort-level for citizens to represent themselves in a less threatening environment. If the pilot is successful, the program may be expanded to other community link centers.
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| Emergency Response |
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California has launched the California Disaster Corps, a standardized and efficient volunteer program to aid during disasters. The program, the first-of-its-kind in the nation, will provide opportunities for volunteers to register with local government and undergo training in preparation for major disasters in the state. Major wildfires in recent years spurred the development of the volunteer corps.
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| Crime Prevention |
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DNA evidence will now be used to protect a new type of victim—dogs that are forced to fight. Law enforcement can now use a new dog DNA database to investigate and prosecute dogfighting cases. The Canine Combined DNA Index System, or Canine Codis, gives officials the ability to determine whether the animal comes from a known dogfighting line, and gives them the tools to reconstruct the dog’s history of contact between breeders, owners, and pit operators. The database, a joint effort between animal rights advocates and scientists, was originally developed to assist in a criminal probe that resulted in the largest dog-fighting raid in U.S. history.
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| Highways |
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Washington State is installing electric car charging stations along its 276 miles of Interstate 5, creating the nation’s first “electric highway.” The $1.3 million project is part of the state’s preparation for the 300,000 electric cars it predicts will be on its roads during the next ten years.
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| Civic Engagement |
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In California, civic engagement is being modernized through the advent of keypad polling. The technique involves the use of handheld wireless devices to record preferences related to important public policy decisions in real time. At public meetings, citizens can anonymously transmit their opinions and recommendations to a central computer, which quickly records responses and creates visual representations of the data. Leaders can immediately see where constituents stand on an issue and often receive input that is more honest. Communities in Menlo Park, San Mateo, Palo Alto, and other areas have taken advantage of the technology.
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| Administrative and Regulatory Reform |
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The Oregon Building Codes Division has created an e-permitting system that greatly simplifies the often time and resource intensive process of securing permits across multiple jurisdictions. The system removes the need for costly and duplicative IT systems maintained across different cities and counties by allowing users to begin multiple permit processes from a single website. The ease and feel of the process is described as being similar to online retail shopping. Additionally, the site forwards all collected fees directly to the local jurisdiction, without circulating it through the state’s coffers first, avoiding the time it takes to reallocate funds.
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| Cultural Resources |
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New York City is spending tens of thousands of dollars on classes for artists to learn basic business skills to keep themselves afloat. Topics include using spreadsheets, preparing budgets, and making sales pitches. Acknowledging the difficulty of making ends meet as an artist, as well as the importance of cultural resources to the city, New York is hoping that the five-week program helps to keep artists in residence. At the conclusion of the course, students meet with advisers to review their business plan, and can apply for subsidized studio or rehearsal space.
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| Technology |
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Apps continue to make headway in the public sector. Political candidates are using apps to get the word out about their campaigns. Some have apps to get supporters to donate money, follow their campaign calendar, read their news releases, and research their political positions. And, the U.S. General Services Administration has launched a newly redesigned USA.gov that features new mobile applications for savvy users. Apps include the ability to scan a product's barcode to determine if the product is on recall list, an app that locates nearby gas stations that sell alternative fuels, and an app that displays TSA checkpoint wait times.
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| The 5% Solution: The Dreaded "Across the Board" Cuts |
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John O'Leary asks if across-the-board budget cuts spur government to greater efficiency or merely spread panic and result in greater inefficiency? Either way, love them or hate them, you can expect to see more governments embrace the five-percent solution as the fiscal crisis rolls on.
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| GIS Helps Citizens Co-Deliver Public Services |
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The use of geographic information systems that empower citizens to actively participate in the delivery of public services is growing, especially in local governments. GIS allow participation in local problem solving, often yielding results more quickly and effectively than government alone.
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| Debt, Deficits, and the Road to Fiscal Sustainability |
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States, cities, and many nations around the globe are facing an existential threat in the form of a massive fiscal imbalance between expected revenues and promised expenditures. Along the road to sustainability, there will be political realities, surprises, and particular local circumstances and personalities that will make each government's journey slightly different.
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| Performance Pay for Teachers Would Boost Economy |
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Economic success depends on a well-educated workforce. So, it makes sense to think of improving education as a tool for boosting a region’s economy.
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
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About the Ash Center
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.
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