A message from Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Reiemer
in December 2012:
We live in an era of great change. But can
Montgomery County government keep pace?
That is a big question facing our county’s leaders.
We want Montgomery County to be recognized as an innovation capital, where the
government, the private sector, and community leaders work together on our
biggest challenges.
In that spirit, the County Council recently passed
a bill that I crafted called the Open Data Act. It will
require County Government to be more sophisticated in how we collect and manage
data and it will establish a new policy of sharing valuable data openly
with the public. The new law is a foundation for a new digital strategy for
Montgomery County, which I have helped formulate with County Executive Ike
Leggett and his superb team.
What does it all mean for you?
- The county budget is now on the web in remarkable detail. Citizen analysts will be able to manipulate the data and even casual users can create their own visualizations using our online tools. The smallest budget details are searchable for each department, including the salary for all county employees. In time, every department will have a public data set.
- Use
our new 311 mobile app
to request county services. Want to report a road repair or fallen
tree limb, request bulk trash pickup, you name it -- use 311 mobile wherever
you are.
- 3rd
party app developers will improve services.
Across the country, app developers are figuring out how to create valuable
services for consumers based on government data.
From transportation planning apps to real estate and tax apps, you are
going to benefit from letting the private sector leverage county data to create apps.
- Your
voice can be heard in new ways. Already I talk with
residents daily on my Facebook
page. You may also interact on Facebook with the county police department, fire & rescue, libraries, regional centers,
and more. The county
also has a new tool for collaborating with residents, called engageMontgomery,
where you may submit your own ideas for county priorities and “second”
those submitted by others. Its a great tool that government agencies are
using all across the country to garner input from residents.
- More
innovation jobs in Montgomery County.
MoCo has one of America’s most highly skilled workforces, we have dynamic
IT and biotech companies. Striving for leadership in digital government
will send a positive message to the private sector and the county council
is specifically looking at how we can use these new tools to foster economic development.
- Next
steps and how YOU can get involved. We need a forum where
local government officials can join with experts, programmers, journalists
and most importantly, citizens like you. I have proposed that the County
begin planning a summit where participants can exchange ideas, advocate
for issues, leverage open government content, and provide input for better
local governing practices. This is a chance to help shape the community
around us. The planning is still in initial stages and we will need help
from people like you. Please reply to this email if you are interested.
In launching the new digital government agenda, the
County Executive released a Digital Roadmap that
says, “this strategy aims to be disruptive.”
That’s
exactly right. We need to disrupt and create. New ideas will help us
drive change in this county for the better.
