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HEADLINES
scroll
down to find summaries and links to the articles
JULY
6 - JULY 12
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Genesee County: TV system aids young victims
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Allegan County: Local
man leads 'Freecycle' effort in Allegan County area
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Clinton Township: Fire Department purchases
improved information system
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Beverly Hills: Beverly Hills residents can pay
their taxes online
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Dearborn: Web tool helps sewer decision
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Oakland County: County will share data to find
criminals
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Barry County: Computer
helps municipal planners
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Sparta, Lowell: Pilot
program helps police departments share data
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Ottawa County: Ottawa considers countywide
wireless Internet network
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St. Clair County: County to update its
software
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Adrian: City says appraisals help record
property values
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Concord: Schools eat up meal program
JULY
13 - JULY 19
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Cadillac: Teen creates
HI-FI 'hotspots' in downtown Cadillac
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Grand Haven Township: Township
will get a new Web site design
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Statewide: Michigan
government Web service lauded
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Wayne County: Treasurer
announces online tax payments
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Grand Rapids, Northview Schools:
Foundation will buy computers for schools
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Washtenaw County: HistWeb
to see upgrades
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Southeast Michigan:
Hospitals see pay off from tech investment
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Warren: Students get
virtual credit
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Clam Lake Township: Web
site, road work planned for township
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Cheboygan: City to take
part in aerial mapping
FOLLOW-UP
ANNOUNCEMENT: Michigan’s Online Local Government- An
Evaluation of the State’s Localities on the Internet
If you missed the last Michigan Community IT News
Briefing, you may not know about the release of cyber-state's
report on Michigan's local government websites. We
have conducted an independent analysis of Michigan's official
local government sites and e-government initiatives. More
information on this research can be found on cyber-state's
website. In response to the
report, several articles have been written in Michigan newspapers:
http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend9_20040709.htm (Detroit
Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend19_20040719.htm (Detroit
Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/news/cfp/1/ltech15_20040715.htm
(Detroit Free Press)
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/071704/loc_20040717027.shtml (Daily
Oakland Press)
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cyber-state.org
3520
Green Court, Suite 300
Ann
Arbor, MI 48105-1579
phone:
(734) 302-4755
fax:
(734) 302-4996
Cyber-state.org,
a member of the Altarum family, is a non-profit, nonpartisan
organization that is committed to ensuring that all Michigan
residents are able to benefit from information technology
(IT). One of our priorities is to assist state and local
policymakers as a resource for their creation and deliberation
of IT policy. With these email news briefings, we hope to
increase the awareness of the importance of information
technology for Michigan's local governments, schools,
health care, nonprofits, and the economy as a whole.
OTHER
IT NEWS SOURCES
*
Detroit
Free Press / tech
*
Detroit
Tech News
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Michigan CrainTech
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Great
Lakes IT Report
*
Michigan
Technology News
*
Federal
Computer Week
*
Government
Computer News
*
Government
Technology
*
New York Times: Technology
*
Washtech.com
(Washington Post)
*
eGovernment
Resource Centre
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JULY
6 2004
* Genesee County: TV system aids
young victims
The county is about to get its own closed-circuit
video system - a tool that can make it easier for child
victims of sexual abuse to testify away from the adult accused
of the assault. The county has used the technology
before, but paid a company $150 an hour to accomplish the
task. McLaren Regional Medical Center has offered to donate
the system, at an estimated cost of $25,000, raised through
the hospital's annual Club 401 fundraiser.
Source: Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-22/108912755619620.xml?fljournal?NEF
JULY
7 2004
* Allegan County: Local man leads
'Freecycle' effort in Allegan County area
Brian Schwab of Moline is the owner and moderator of
the Allegan Freecycle network, an on-line resource for
individuals interested in staving off the rapid growth of
landfills. 'Freecycling' helps communities in and around
Allegan County give unwanted items like furniture, appliances,
instruments and other odds and ends to other people instead of
the trash heap. Schwab said the Web site, www.spazin.com,
hopes to serve people in areas including but not limited to
Wayland, Martin, Allegan, Moline, Dorr and Caledonia. The
Freecycle Network is a project of Rise Inc., a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization whose mission includes reducing waste,
generating employment training and fostering cooperation
between other nonprofit organizations and the public.
Source: Allegan County News, http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12249245&BRD=8&PAG=461&dept_id=476333&rfi=8
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Clinton Township: Fire Department purchases improved
information system
The Clinton Township Fire Department looks forward to
improved efficiency after the Clinton Township Board of
Trustees unanimously approved an expenditure of almost
$454,000 to improve its information system. A major plus
to the new system is integration. The current system does not
integrate the computer-aided dispatch with the department’s
records management systems. The new system solves that
problem. The dispatch starts the incident report —
information such as the date, time and responding vehicles —
and can tie in information such as inspections, violations and
a site’s history or any special circumstances. The new
dispatch system allows firefighters to get mapping in the
field. The system can deliver a map to computers in the
trucks. Currently, firefighters take their paper maps with
them.
Source: Fraser-Clinton Chronicle, http://www.candgnews.com/editorial/2004/july/7/fraser_clintonchronicle/fire%20info%20system.html
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Beverly Hills: Beverly Hills residents can pay their
taxes online
Beverly Hills residents should have received their
2004 village tax bills, which span from July 1, 2004, to June
30, 2005, by now and they can pay them online with a credit
card. “We’ve had enough interest in this program that we
decided to give it a try,” said Beverly Hills Village
Manager Brian Murphy. The program is being offered to all of
the municipalities within Oakland County, but not everyone has
opted to try it out, according to Beverly Hills Village
Treasurer Peggy Linkswiler.
Source: Birmingham Eagle, http://www.candgnews.com/editorial/2004/july/7/birminghameagle/taxes.html
JULY
8 2004
* Dearborn: Web tool helps sewer
decision
City officials have added what they call a “payment
estimate calculator” to Dearborn’s Web site to help voters
decide how to pay for $300 million in new sewers. Work on the
sewer project is scheduled to begin this year. On Aug. 3,
voters will choose whether to pay more taxes or higher water
bills to finance the work. Using the payment estimate
calculator, Dearborn homeowners can type in their addresses
and receive a personalized estimate of the property tax
increase or the water bill increase.
Source: Detroit News, http://www.detnews.com/2004/wayne/0407/08/d03-206140.htm
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Oakland County: County will share data to find
criminals
Oakland County will have a new tool in its arsenal to fight
crime this year. The county's Courts and Law Enforcement
Management Information System (CLEMIS) has signed an agreement
with the Michigan State Police and six western Michigan police
departments to participate in a six-month pilot project to
share a wide range of data that will help identify criminals.
The other participants in the project are the Kent County
Sheriff's Department and the Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kentwood,
Grandville and Walker police departments. CLEMIS is a
countywide data base of criminal information compiled by
county and local law enforcement agencies.
Source: Southfield Eccentric, http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=40318
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Barry County: Computer helps municipal planners
11 Barry County municipalities are part of a pilot
program at Michigan State University's Barry County Extension
Site, which compiles a community profile in a computer program
to aid officials' planning process. As townships and cities
input their master plans, zoning regulations, utility maps,
school district information, property rights and other data
into the computer, the program allows planners to create
future development scenarios for which the computer will help
them prepare.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1089298051229890.xml?grpress?NEG,
Related Story: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1089660374244000.xml?advancenewspapers?NEPG
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Sparta, Lowell: Pilot program helps police departments
share data
Sparta Police Chief Brian Robinson said this
technology allows officers to access information from in-car
computers, including photographs, of anyone they stop.
Previously, the only information that officers could access
was driver's license and warrant data. In the pilot program,
Sparta and Lowell officers can use their in-car modems and a
Nextel phone to access information from other departments. The
information they can receive includes whether the subject is a
suspect by another department, even if a warrant has not been
issued.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1089300499319280.xml?grpress?NEG
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Ottawa County: Ottawa considers countywide wireless
Internet network
A task force is looking at building a countywide wireless
network that would cover rural areas that do not have
broadband Internet service. It would be the first network of
its kind in West Michigan. Proponents say it would vault the
county to the head of the high-tech class by giving everyone
access to the high-speed Web. That makes everything from music
downloads to Web surfing faster.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1089299076229890.xml?grpress?NEO,
Related story: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1089300333319280.xml?grpress?NELK
JULY
9 2004
* St. Clair County: County to
update its software
A countywide computer program that aids
law-enforcement agencies in finding missing children and
solving crimes is getting an update. The St. Clair County
United Way is installing the second edition of TRAK, or
Technology to Recover Abducted Kids, in all agencies across
the county. Participating in the county's network are all municipal
police departments, the St. Clair County Sheriff Department,
the Michigan State Police post in Richmond, Macomb County's
FBI office, the county prosecutor's office and emergency
management department and the U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and
Coast Guard.
Source: The Times Herald, http://www.thetimesherald.com/news/stories/20040709/localnews/811339.html
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Adrian: City says appraisals help record property
values
City Assessor Maria Irish said she is looking forward
to the end of a massive two-year complete reappraisal of all
real property citywide. At each home, a sketch of the home is
made with exact measurements, that is then transferred to a
PDA, which is uploaded to a computer in the office. Digital
pictures of the front and back of the house are taken as well.
Marshall said the idea of using the PDA's is to try and
minimize the number of times they have to go back to a house
to correct a measurement.
Source: The Daily Telegram, http://www.lenconnect.com/articles/2004/07/09/news/news04.txt
JULY
10 2004
* Concord: Schools eat up meal
program
Meal Magic, a new school breakfast and lunch payment system
that lets parents track their child's eating habits and
shields low-income students from embarrassing situations, is
being praised after its first full year in Concord.
Under the system, students pay for breakfast or lunch in line
by punching a personal identification number into a key pad,
which then brings up their account balance on a computer
monitor. The system also lets parents request regular balance
totals and account histories. In addition, Becki Nutt, food
service director for Concord Community Schools, said parents
can make deposits into the account and have meal histories
e-mailed home on a regular basis. Concord used the system in
the high school this year and plans to expand it to the
elementary and middle schools in the fall, Nutt said.
Source: Jackson Citizen Patriot, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-9/108945397093170.xml?jacitpat?NEJ
JULY
13 2004
* Cadillac: Teen creates HI-FI
'hotspots' in downtown Cadillac
Summer is a busy time for teenagers and for
15-year-old Eric Wotila, there just aren't enough hours in the
day. This year he came up with a new project, setting up
downtown Cadillac with wireless hotspots so there's free
Internet access anywhere in town. Eric has his theme and logo,
his Web site (www.connectedcadillac.tk)
and his mission: to enlist downtown sponsors to set up
hotspots around Cadillac. 'Connected Cadillac is non-profit,'
Eric said. 'I don't call anyone clients. They are my wireless
sponsors. I'm just trying to give free Internet to anyone who
comes to Cadillac.'
Source: Cadillac News, http://www.cadillacnews.com/articles/2004/07/13/news/news03.txt
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Grand Haven Township: Township will get a new Web site
design
The township's Web site, www.ght.org,
soon will get a makeover. The Township Board Monday agreed to
pay Municipal Web Services of Birmingham $12,600 to renovate
its home page on the Internet. Items on the new site will
include a searchable version of the township's ordinances,
forms, frequently asked questions and a list of elected
officials, along with a short biography, pictures and contacts
for each. The site also will include a list of department
directors with e-mail contacts, important phone numbers,
minutes and agendas of township board and planning commission
meetings and a calendar of events.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1089730389129210.xml?grpress?NELK
JULY
14 2004
* Statewide: Michigan government
Web service lauded
When it comes to e-government, Michigan is tops in
the nation. That's according to a new survey by the Center for
Digital Government that compared how state governments across
the country use technology to better serve their citizens.
Paul W. Taylor, chief strategy officer for the California
research organization, said Michigan was the clear winner
because of the way it allows citizens to obtain permits, pay
fines and do other transactions online, like making state park
reservations and renewing licenses.
Source: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend14e_20040714.htm
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Wayne County: Treasurer announces online tax payments
Wayne County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz is
continuing with the second phase of his e-government Web site,
announcing the acceptance of online payments for real property
taxes. This new feature allows taxpayers in Wayne County to
pay their delinquent property taxes, at no cost, by electronic
debit of their checking or savings accounts.
Online payments in Wayne County are unlike other Michigan
counties that charge a convenience fee for providing tax
information and making electronic payments.
Source: Press and Guide, http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/071404/loc_20040714028.shtml,
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Grand Rapids, Northview Schools: Foundation will buy
computers for schools
A partnership between the Northview Education
Foundation and the school district will bring new computers to
schools. Foundation President Barb Cameron pledged $10,000 per
year for the next three years to help advance technology in
the district. Superintendent Michael Stearns called the
investment a 'major step forward' in the partnership between
the district and the foundation, which typically contributes
to curriculum through small mini-grants in the spring and
fall.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1089816584303390.xml?grpress?NEG
JULY
15 2004
* Washtenaw County: HistWeb to
see upgrades
Washtenaw County Department of Planning and
Environment, and the Washtenaw County Historic District
Commission have received $25,000 to upgrade their
award-winning HistWeb Web site. HistWeb, an interactive
web-based geographic information system containing 10,000
images of the county’s historic resources allows the public
quick online access to historic sites in the county.
Source: Chelsea Standard, http://www.chelseastandard.com/news/20040715B13IMRR.asp?ID=132
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Southeast Michigan: Hospitals see pay off from tech
investment
University of Michigan Health System and St. Joseph
Mercy Health System will invest millions of dollars in new
computer software and personnel training over the next few
years. The changes, the hospital groups say, are expected to
revolutionize and improve patient care and save hospitals
millions of dollars annually. Both health systems are
upgrading existing technology to create electronic medical
record of their patients. The software allows physicians to
record all medical tests, procedures and prescriptions. Both
health systems are also upgrading existing software called
computerized online physician ordering, or COPE, that
eliminates often-illegible physician handwriting, a major
reason for medical errors.
Source: Business Direct Weekly, http://www.mlive.com/businessdirect/se/index.ssf?/businessdirect/se/stories/20040715_hospitals.html
JULY
19 2004
* Warren: Students get virtual
credit
Education 2020 is a virtual schooling service provider based
in Scottsdale, Ariz. E 2020 labs, designed to offer six
courses for students who need to restore credit or for those
who want to make more room in their high school schedule, will
be offered at all district high schools in the fall after a
successful pilot program at Cousino High School. Unlike an
online course, the “E 2020” lab software uses a
prerecorded teacher who appears on the student’s screen. In
the classroom labs, a live certified teacher monitors and
assists students when necessary. So far, Warren Consolidated
is the only district offering E 2020 in Metro Detroit, but it
already has been implemented in 10 other northern lower
Michigan districts such as Kalkaska, and can be found in 13
states.
Source: Detroit News, http://www.detnews.com/2004/schools/0407/19/c05-215833.htm
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Clam Lake Township: Web site, road work planned for
township
The Clam Lake Township board is on the way to
establishing a Web site and paving more roads. Supervisor
Dennis Anderson said the board Wednesday approved in concept a
plan to join with the township's DDA in establishing a
township Web site to provide information about township
government, meetings and activities. 'We can do a lot of
different things with it,' Anderson said. 'It will be a good
way to highlight our DDA area.'
Source: Cadillac News, http://www.cadillacnews.com/articles/2004/07/19/news/news04.txt
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Cheboygan: City to take part in aerial mapping
The Cheboygan City Council approved a measure at Tuesday's
meeting to enter into an agreement with Cheboygan County for
Geographic Information Systems data. Cheboygan County
Equalization Director Joe Lavender displayed examples of
aerial photos taken in 1998 showing several sections of the
city. He said that newer photos will be taken to update the
database, and that the service will frequently provide the
latest information with current photos. The information can be
used in a variety of ways by the city and the county, but the
primary purpose would be to tie in Global Positioning System,
or GPS, coordinates with 911 Central Dispatch addresses.
Source: Cheboygan Tribune, http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2004/07/19/news/news2.txt
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