InforME Board Meeting May 19, 2004

Board Members:

Dan Gwadosky - Board Chair
Richard Trahey
Marilyn Lutz
Dick Hinkley
Anne Schink
Jaynie Higgins
Carrie Gott

Others Present:

Dick Thompson, CIO
Kelly Hokkanen - InforME
Todd Tolhurst - InforME
Renee Loring - InforME

Meeting Opens:

The Chair opens the meeting by reviewing the meeting agenda.

I.     Strategic Planning

Goal #2:

Carrie reviews updates with previous Board input on Strategic Plan Goal 2. Board accepts changes.

Goal #3:

� Provide an enterprise-wide framework for citizens to interact seamlessly with government, including through the expansion of multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional services.�

OBJECTIVE I:       

Develop at least one multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional application per year.

STRATEGIES:

• Develop work plans for professional licensing portal, business licensing portal, municipal portal and Sportsmens' Suite.  
• Identify new cross-agency applications.
• Develop a do-it-yourself ePayment/shopping cart engine to allow agencies to set up basic online transactions easily and quickly.
• Develop a single, flexible do-it-yourself registration service with an optional payment engine that state and local governments can use easily and quickly to set up a variety of online services. Use a pilot group of agencies wishing to launch similar projects.
• Provide do-it-yourself survey software that state and local government agencies can use easily and quickly to set up a variety of online surveys.
• Deliver consistent Service and Web page templates for agencies use.

Discussion:

Q. How do we realistically accomplish business portal solutions? Has any outreach been done?

A. (InforME) The Business Answers online service allows a user to request the materials needed to start a business in Maine . DECD offers the expertise to bring together multiple licenses and permits into a single location. The legislation that was sent through committee mandated that agencies that provide these permits/applications must also provide them online through the Business Answers service.

OBJECTIVE II

Expand municipal and county online service offerings

STRATEGIES

This is expected to be a 3 phase approach which will enable all municipalities to:

1. Provide content
2. Allow those that have web presence to use the free InforME software tools.
3. Provide a payment engine.

The following strategies will be used:

• Expand municipal participation with existing online services: RRS, Dog Licensing, Aircraft Registration Renewal, and Parking Tickets
• Complete Property Tax Service and identify growth potential
• Work with the MMA to develop a local government portal within Maine.gov.
• Develop a do-it-yourself payment engine for local government use.

Discussion:

Q. What is a do-it-yourself payment engine? What would it be used for?

A. (InforME) A do-it-yourself payment engine is an enterprise payment engine that would allow an agency to set up an online eCommerce service simply and easily through an administrative interface so that users could file basic information and make online payments.

OBJECTIVE III

Increase adoption rates of Rapid Renewal (RRS).

STRATEGIES

• Continue to promote RRS through events and presentations.
• Continue to work with MMA to attend events and leverage those appearances to increase program participation.
• Continue to support the SOS in their launch initiatives for new towns in the program.

Discussion:

Q. How does this differ from the previous increase adoption objective in Goal II? We need to further define the goal and determine whether or not it's appropriate to single out one service.

Comments:

This service is the one service that is multi-agency and breaks the municipal barrier. It is appropriate to single out.

Q. Do you provide a survey of those municipalities that have declined participation in service?

A. (InforME) A survey is not needed. These services are not necessarily declined, more put on the back burner.

Q. Is the goal to drive the adoption of the publics use or to garner agency participation?

A. (InforME) Both. We need the participation of both to reach the goal.

D. Goal #4

This will be reviewed at next Board meeting and allow the Board to provide feedback at that time.

Action:

InforME will present the Strategic Plan to be voted on at next meeting.

E.    Updated Project Prioritization Process with previous Board input

Carrie presents the updated Project Prioritization Process document based on previous Board feedback. The following updates have been made:

• header change
• text change to input agency appeal
• added more description of determinants ranking
• added a 6 rating to the rankings for values
• added a statewide benefit
• added more description under project priority
• added definition for Re-evaluate

The Phase III InforME Workbook is passed around for the Board review. A service prioritization section has been added to the agency project questionnaire.

The prioritization process reference has also been added to the project overview.

Discussion:

Q   How does this get filled out?

A. InforME completes based on agencies answers in the Workbook. The agency may then appeal this process based on the ranking for further Board consideration.

Q. Can the workbook be obtained online?

A. (InforME) The webmaster galley upgrade will contain project documents in electronic format.

Comments:

Looks like a very valuable tool.

II    New Services/Initiatives Update:

Carrie gives an overview of the eDemocracy Initiative. This initiative resulted from the Board's Strategic Planning retreat back in January and can be found in the 2 year strategic plan. It is a collaborative effort cross agencies to gather all information and services relating to eDemocracy and present these from a single eDemocracy portal channel. In addition, new online services that assist in the process of eDemocracy will be defined and developed.

A.   Kelly Hokkenan , project manager for the Initiative, explains that InforME is in the process of defining the project and gathering specs on what is needed to be completed.

Comment:

The League of Women Voters has met with InforME to participate in this initiative and is very excited at the prospects.

Discussion:

Q. One of the difficulties is getting opinions outside of the country from a political perspective. Are there any news services that we can pull in?

A. Possibly through the League of Women Voters software. If this information was pulled together somewhere InforME could link to it.

Comments:

The CIO's office is grappling with the degree of accuracy and updated information of agency websites and who is responsible for this. If this is not kept up in a timely and efficient manner it will misinform users with outdated information.

Many agencies do provide a disclaimer that this information may not be up to date.

If we are providing voting information if must be accurate and timely. Need to caution folks of estimated deadlines and make sure content is scrutinized and maintained once it's put up.

Action:

InforME will provide eDemocracy mock-ups for the Board to review at a later meeting.

B.   Kelly Hokkanen provides an electronic demonstration of the 2004 Maine.gov upgrade.

The goals of the new portal:

• With new portal initiatives, all web content needs to fit on the homepage without appearing cluttered or scrolling.
• Enhance Maine.gov branding.
• Highlight new initiatives of the portal.
• Bring the portal inline with consistency initiatives including the agency design template and egov services template.
• Update the site's code to ensure faster load time, improve accessibility, and keep the portal up to date with industry standards.

Discussion:

Q Can you have scrolling text that would be accessible in the case of an emergency?

A. (InforME) It is possible that we will have both. We will check into it.

Q. Will the pop up mechanism stay?

A. (InforME) Probably, but the code will need to be updated.

Q. Is the news section intended to fill the full length of the screen?

A. (InforME) Yes. It also depends on the users' browser settings. The size will adjust depending on screen resolution.

Q How many use the customization tool?

A. ((InforME) About 1,000.

Action:

InforME will update Maine Facts Section with new facts.

III.   Announcements

The Board Chair announces that Chip Gavin will no longer be on the Board staff. He is taking on the new role of Deputy Secretary of State for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Denise Garland will be fulfilling staff to the Chair.

IV. Executive Session: Contract Negotiations

V.     Meeting Adjourns

Meeting adjourns at 3:00

Next Board Meeting: June 16, 2004, 1:00 p.m.