The changing role of government supports new mayor's emphasis on IT

No surprise, that headline, coming from anyone who has known me even just since I ran for Pepper Pike City Council, but Mayor Bain, at last week's Road & Safety meeting, made it clear that he aspires to bring the City into the 21st century, if not the second decade of it as well, too.

This article, "The changing role of government," backs up this prioritization. An excerpt:

In Governing’s November 2011 edition (p 20), there was an article entitled “Full-Service Government Comes to an End,” by Paul W. Taylor. The article focused on the many requests that come through for government employees to resolve. In particular, he noted that in Longmont, CO, “an internal analysis showed that up to 38% of the police departments calls for service did not need a uniformed officer – they needed a neighbor.”

This is only one example, but it raises a large question: Should government become an “information clearinghouse,” helping citizens find and act on information, as well as be a service provider? Should local government become a significant information and services hub, linking citizens to the most appropriate community resources for their needs?

If you received a robo-call from the City informing you about this week's garbage pick-up and that the City Hall is open today, then you know that the mayor is already trying to make good on the above.

What more should be done? But also - where do you draw the line?