Your Budget at Work - Effective Government
Circuit Court Clerk Completes CaseLink (Circuit Court Clerk)
CaseLink, the Circuit Court Clerk's online subscription service for accessing
civil case file information in a more efficient and cost effective format, arrived
during FY05. CaseLink utilizes a web interface which allows subscribers to access
the program through their internet browser. Case information can be viewed from
Circuit, Probate and General Sessions Civil Division in real time.
Examples of data available include style of case, pleadings filed, court dates, judgments, attorney information and service and payment details. For $20.00 a month per connection, a subscriber gets unlimited usage. All that is required is Microsoft Explorer and an internet connection to access CaseLink.
Traffic Violation Management System (Circuit Court Clerk)
The Circuit Court Clerk also saw the kick-off of the Traffic Violation Management System project during FY05. The purpose of this project is to provide an integrated case management system for the Traffic Violation Bureau. Upon completion, the Traffic Violation Management System will generate an increase in productivity and revenue while minimizing manual errors.
Electronic Filing/Funds Transfer (Register of Deeds)
In FY2005 the Register of Deeds implemented Electronic Funds Transfer to complete
Level 2 of Remote Filing. The remote filing service is an Internet based program
that allows the user to create a transaction containing as many or few documents
as desired and post them to the Register of Deeds office for recording. This
lets the customer submit recording information with out the original documents
ever leaving their office, and now the program can accept payments as well!
The Register currently has 33 customers filing documents electronically and
has at least 12 more prospects.
Internal Audit Issues First Performance Measurement Certification Report (Finance)
In March 2005, Metro Internal Audit issued the first annual Performance Measurement
Certification Report, which provides information on the reliability of FY04
key performance measures reported by eleven departments now operating under
performance-based budgets. In an effort to build accountability and credibility
throughout Metro, early in 2002 the city implemented a comprehensive approach
to strategic business planning that organizes services around results for customers
and provides the framework for performance-based budgeting. As part of the "Results
Matter" initiative, performance-based budgets were developed for eleven
Metro departments and key performance measures were reported for 195 Metro programs
for fiscal year 2003 – 2004. In order to ensure that reliable performance
information is available to manage and make good business decisions, all key
result measures were tested for certification by the division of Internal Audit.
The results of certification testing published in the "Performance Measurement
Certification Report" will enable policymakers and departments to make
better informed resource allocation and operational decisions.
Metro Continues to Drive the Results for Customers Initiative (Finance)
In FY2005, Five more Metro departments join the ranks of the “Results
Matter” initiative. The Justice Integration Services, Nashville Career
Advancement Center, Office of Fleet Management- General Services, Sheriff, and
the Water Services Departments have all developed new strategic business plans
focused on results for customers. A total of sixteen Metro departments have
now gone through this process and are seeing the benefits of managing for results.
A strategic business plan based on the Results Matter methodology enables departments
to:
- create a culture focused on the customer
- make better business decisions based on measured performance
- illustrate how each employee contributes in reaching the overall goals of the department.
Nashville General Hospital gets Technology Upgrade (General Hospital)
Technology enhancing patent care/safety places NGH at forefront of public hospitals
in Tennessee. NGH has begun implementation of a complete digital information
system that is designed to fully integrate all hospital departments and clinical
areas. The new system links departments including physician practices, pharmacy,
laboratory, radiology, medical records, outpatient clinics, the emergency room,
admissions, billing, scheduling and reporting. This constant communication between
these departments will greatly increase efficiencies across NGH. For instance,
in a typical week, NGH’s staff manually fulfills requests related to 3,000
patient charts for inpatient and outpatient clinic visits. With the new system,
all patient information will be consolidated into an electronic medical record,
eliminating the need for manual chart retrieval, pick-up and delivery. The medical
record will be available within seconds. Physicians and other authorized staff
will be able to review and sign medical records electronically, and patients
will have their requests for copies of their medical records filled more quickly.
Codes Expands Website to Include Online Reporting of Violations (Codes)
Reporting dilapidated buildings, graffiti on private property, abandoned vehicles
and other code violations is now a little easier in Nashville. With the click
of a mouse, residents can access the Codes Online Customer Service Desk from their computer.
Codes Online allows residents to access information or report a code violation by filling out a form via the Internet. The Web page provides a detailed description of the most common violations residents encounter – dilapidated houses, high grass, parking on sidewalks and other problems that deface neighborhoods.
Residents can report anonymously or make it easier for the department to follow up on complaints by including their name and telephone number. Still residents can call, write or e-mail their concerns, but accessing Codes Online could speed up the process.
E-bid Surplus Auction Continues Success (General Services)
E-bid, Metro’s online surplus property auction, was able to generate
$3.85 million dollars in paid sales for the calendar year 2004. This Auction
is a truly innovative way for Metro to generate revenue out of items previously
sitting in storage.
E-bid allows anyone to log into their site and bid on everything from old Metro
office furnishings to seized land and property.
New Structure for Emergency Communications Center (Human Resources)
In fiscal year 2005 the Metropolitan Human Resources Department successfully
implemented a new classification/compensation structure for employees of the
consolidated Emergency Communications Center (ECC). A new structure was needed
to address issues brought on by the consolidation process.
Human Resources Department compensation staff worked over the course of several
months with labor, department management and employees, the administration,
legal and Finance to ensure the success of the new structure which assigns new
pay grades and classifications to over 150 employees of the ECC. The new structure
creates clearly defined career paths for employees, rewards performance and
allows for employee growth through training programs.
Elections Made Easier and More Efficient (Election Commission)
In FY05 the Election Commission successfully handled a record number of early
voters in the November 2004 Presidential Election. 126,982 people or 52% of
those who voted in Davidson County chose to vote early at one of 7 sites. The
availability of early voting greatly increased efficiency on Election Day.
The EC also installed a state of the art Megaprofile voter registration system this year that enables them to maintain better records, customize reports, and respond to the changing legislation concerning the electoral process.
In addition, the Election Commission developed a comprehensive Election Day emergency contingency plan with other Metro departments to ensure that communications, power, and transportation are not disrupted on Election Day or during early voting.
In FY2005 the Register of Deeds implemented Electronic Funds Transfer to complete Level 2 of Remote Filing. The remote filing service is an Internet based program that allows the user to create a transaction containing as many or few documents as desired and post them to the Register of Deeds office for recording. This lets the customer submit recording information with out the original documents ever leaving their office, and now the program can accept payments as well! The Register currently has 33 customers filing documents electronically and has at least 12 more prospects.
District Energy Systems Completes its First Year of Operations (DES)
In December 16, 2004, the Metro Nashville District Energy System completed
its first full year of operations. To commemorate this, a sculpture of the Shelby
Street Bridge was presented to the Facility.
The Shelby Street Bridge, once a vehicle transportation link across the Cumberland River, was refurbished and rededicated as a pedestrian bridge in 2003. In the same way, Nashville in 2004 built a bridge in providing energy to its downtown district. The sculpture of the Shelby Street Bridge, crafted by Ed Gershman, Artisan in Metals, was made from materials recovered from the old Thermal Transfer plant and symbolizes the bridge to the new District Energy System.
In November 2002, construction began on the new state-of-the-art facility and operation began in Mid-December 2003. The new DES facility provides steam and chilled water to heat and cool 40 downtown buildings and has received awards from the International District Energy Association for the most buildings signed up for service and second-most square footage signed up for service in 2003.
In April 2004, the Nashville Thermal Transfer Corporation formally turned over the 30-year-old Thermal Waste-to-Energy plant for complete demolition. The five-month project included the implosion of the large 200 foot concrete stack on July 26, 2004.
Nashville Ranks Among Top Ten Large Digital Cities (Information Technology Services)
The Center for Digital Government announced that Nashville ranked number eight
out of the top 10 digital cities in America based on its 2004 Digital Cities
survey. Over 600 city mayors, managers, and chief information managers responded
to the 24-question survey that ranged from the topics of online service delivery
to the infrastructure that makes digital government possible.
Cities were broken into four categories based on population. In cities with a population of 250,000 or more Virginia Beach, Va. came in first; then Tuscon, Ariz., Los Angeles, Tampa, Fla., Aurora, Colo., Phoenix, Honolulu, Nashville, and lastly Washington, D.C and Corpus Christi, Texas tied in 10th.