A host of Web site assistance
- By Dibya Sarkar
- Oct 22, 2001
The League of Minnesota Cities
Two competing initiatives could boost the Internet presence and enhance
the online interactive capabilities of U.S. cities and counties strapped
for financial resources and technological expertise.
In one partnership, a small software company called Avenet LLC created
a hosted Web development product called GovOffice WebCreator, which municipalities
can access via the Internet to create customized and interactive sites.
Avenet's partners are the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), the International
City/County Management Association (ICMA) and Microsoft Corp.
Another hosted Web development system was created by IBM Corp. in collaboration
with the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties
(NACo).
Officials from both alliances said the products are essential because
so many smaller municipalities cannot afford to hire additional workers
with the right expertise, continually purchase and upgrade hardware and
software, or contract with technology companies to develop Web sites and
interactive features.
"We literally had mayors of some of the cities building their Web sites,"
said Eric Johnson, Avenet's chief executive officer.
Christine Becker, deputy executive director of the National League of
Cities, said their setup makes things extremely easy.
"The program was designed to be so simple [that] you could use it, you
could design it, you could make it work without having to bring in highly
technical people," she said.
This year, based on a survey of cities and counties with populations
of 10,000 and above, Public Technology Inc. and ICMA reported that municipalities
that have Web sites used them for nothing more than posting information.
A private company, Civic Resource Group, examined 224 cities with populations
of more than 100,000 and reported similar results.
But Elizabeth Kellar, deputy executive director of ICMA, which represents
appointed managers and administrators in local governments worldwide, pointed
out that most communities with populations less than 10,000 have no Internet
presence at all. "They haven't been able to get the kind of tools...to get
a Web site running," she said.
Mary-Margaret Zindren, assistant to the League of Minnesota Cities'
executive director, said her state association conducted a survey last year
and found that 67 percent of surveyed cities in Minnesota "did not have
any Web presence whatsoever." She said the municipalities cited high cost
and the complexity of technology as barriers to launching a Web site.
{h3} About GovOffice
GovOffice, which is hosted at dedicated and secure AT&T data centers,
was introduced during the League of Minnesota Cities' conference this past
summer, following a beta test by 14 cities in Minnesota — with populations
ranging from 700 to 50,000 — as well as 35 cities and other states. Up
to 75 municipalities have purchased or are expected to purchase the product.
At
a fraction of what it costs to hire a Web development company, municipal
officials without any technical expertise can post and update information;
add photos, links, audio and video files; conduct online polls; and offer
constituent services and dozens of other options, according to Avenet's
Johnson.
"There's a significant amount of interactivity built into the core system,"
he said. "The forum system allows local units of government to be interactive
with their citizens on receiving and sending information. The ability for
constituents to report a pothole or to sign up to receive city council minutes
are interactive."
Not only do Web sites give constituents access to government information
around the clock, but governments can also use the sites to increase tourism
and economic development, Johnson said.
"If you want to be competitive in a world economy, you have to operate
24/7," ICMA's Kellar said. "Business expects local governments to operate
in that fashion."
GovOffice's price depends on a municipality's population. Those with
populations of less than 500 pay a one-time $200 license fee and then a
$20-per-month hosting fee. Those with populations of 60,000 or more pay
a $3,000 license fee and a $120-a-month hosting charge. Johnson said this
represents about a 10th of the cost of traditional custom Web development.
{h3} The IBM Alliance
IBM and NLC announced their collaboration in December 2000, and NACo
joined the alliance this year.
In March, IBM and NLC tested the Web development product with 12 municipal
leagues involving about 40 to 50 cities, Becker said. In one Washington
city, the mayor's daughter used the product to create the government's Web
site. In an Arkansas city, the mayor developed the city's site.
Becker said Web site development is just one aspect of the project,
and the partners plan to offer several interactive applications quarterly,
such as a citizen action center.
Muncipalities pay a basic sign-up fee of $295 and then $49 per month
for IBM to host the site, Becker said. Her alliance is working with individual
state municipal leagues to promote the product to its members. So far, about
27 leagues have expressed interest and are developing business models.
Bert Jarreau, NACo's chief technology officer, said that although larger
counties have the money to "do what they want to do" on the Web, some smaller
counties can't do anything. A year ago, only about 43 percent of counties
nationwide had a site, according to the PTI/ICMA survey. Jarreau cited lack
of funds, IT expertise and broadband capability as some of the reasons.
NACo signed a memorandum of understanding with IBM in July and planned
to have a contract in place by mid-September spelling out a pricing structure
for counties. However, the contract process has take longer than expected,
and the new target date for getting the contract signed is Nov. 1, Jarreau
said. He expects a pilot project to roll out after that and pointed out
that the product is also an affordable option for schools and special districts.
Jarreau said NACo officials had considered teaming with Avenet and ICMA,
but IBM's stature appealed to them. "Quite frankly, we believe IBM is going
to be in business for quite a while," he said.
Officials from both alliances said they welcome the competition and
that it's good for municipalities to have choices in the market. Johnson
said the collaboration with Microsoft will give Avenet "tremendous marketing
clout and exposure" to distribute the technology internationally.