News - E-government in the US

Workshop looks at core local government services

May 2002

Some 30 local authorities representatives recently attended a workshop at the State Services Commission to identify common categories of services offered at the local and regional government level. While each local authority tailors their services to meet the needs of their constituents, the workshop found some 120-150 core services that fit a common mould. Roadside parking, for instance, is the concern of all local authorities but not all regions have a port or airfield.

Local authorities typically deal with a more diverse range of services than any one central government agency. Many have already identified and analysed their services to develop their public enquiry desks and web sites. The work already done by local authorities mirrors the services view taken by the portal development team.

A working group is now refining the core service categories. The final list will provide a foundation for local councils to build on as they catalogue their services electronically and ultimately will help people find appropriate local authority services, alongside central government services, through the portal.

Earlier in the e-government programme local authority representatives were involved in developing the NZGLS metadata standard and the metadata thesauri that will be used to describe services and resources for the government portal. By using the metadata standard, local authorities will be able to dovetail neatly with the portal, providing a consistent view to users of local government portals and individual council and regional authority websites. Over time the portal will provide additional tools to help people find services in their locality.