Delaware portal revamped
- By Dibya Sarkar
- Apr 11, 2001
Delaware has unveiled a new one-stop Web site as a first step toward reinventing
government operations and services.
Like other states that have revamped their Web sites in recent months,
Delaware (www.delaware.gov) takes the "portal" approach — one that is more
citizen-focused and intentions-based.
The government signed an 18-month, $3.5 million contract with Accenture
in December, and work on the site began in mid-January when Gov. Ruth Ann
Minner issued Executive Order No. 9, said Michelle Reardon, a spokeswoman
for the governor.
The executive order created an e-government steering committee headed
by the state treasurer, Jack Markell. He said the committee would provide
a higher level of technology standards and structure for agencies to follow
when creating Internet content and applications.
"We want to make [the portal] so people don't have to understand how
the bureaucracy is organized," he said. "We don't want to have them navigate
through state agencies. This is really a first step in terms of revolutionizing
the delivery of state services."
This month, a new Department of Motor Vehicles Web site will be unveiled,
but Markell said transactional services, such as online vehicle registration,
won't happen immediately. Although citizens can now perform some transactions
online, such as filing personal and business tax returns, agencies are expected
to make "compelling business cases" for transactional components before
any money is spent.
Markell said public expectations for online services are "ramping up
dramatically" and "it's incumbent on government to follow suit, and that's
what Delaware is doing." But like many states, Delaware is experiencing
budget constraints, and officials will look carefully before spending money
in order to maximize returns on e-government services.
Markell plans to meet with Delaware residents and visitors to get feedback
on the new portal.
Yahoo software allows users to personalize the portal. The site also
complies with guidelines for making Web sites accessible to people with
disabilities.