I want all citizens to be able to pay city bills online and to get city information without having to travel downtown and wait in line, or play endless games of phone tag. I want city workers to be able to serve citizens without having to wade through multiple sets of rule books, to answer simple questions about zoning and building codes, utility and business tax bills. One of the only reasons we haven t been ranked the best city in the nation is because we ve lagged some in technology. This gets us one step closer to the 24-hour city we re striving to become. Not only does this make it easier for citizens to get information, but it saves them tax dollars as well.
City government saves printing and distribution costs.
Less paper contributes to the paperless office concept and thereby has environmental benefits as well. As first step, with then-City Auditor Barbara Clark and the present auditor, Gary Blackmer , in 1998 supported the creation of an Internet website to search the City Code and Charter by key word and subject. Citizens can now search the Code and Charter for topics of interest to them. The Bureau of Planning is currently working on providing city zoning maps in a searchable format on the Internet which will allow one to enter an address and be directed to its location on the map, and include all zoning information for the specified property. Dollars supported the acquisition of standardized hardware, software, and training required by General Fund bureaus.