Charging A Fee for E-Government: Oakland County, Michigan's Enhanced Access Project.

• Author: Pardee, Jeffrey C.

In 1993, if a resident or business of Oakland County, Michigan, wanted access to county records and information, they would have to travel to a county office during normal business hours and make that request in person. The process was inconvenient for most and time-consuming for all. In an effort to alleviate the inconvenience, Oakland County began considering a new and emerging technological advancement that same year--dissemination of government information to the public electronically, off-site, and... for a fee.

Although Oakland is an affluent county, Michigan tax limitation referendums have severely constrained the ability of older, established urban communities to generate enough revenue to fund new programs or even maintain existing services at their current levels. The future of local budgets under Michigan's Proposal A (a 1994 State Constitutional Amendment that limits future property tax growth) is encumbered by restrictions on revenue growth in urban and "built-out" communities. To provide the services that the public demands, Michigan municipalities are forced to find alternative financing.

Oakland County's Enhanced Access Project does just that. It allows the county to implement new technologies and increase service levels without increasing taxes. Funding is recovered through user fees from parties who are benefiting from the new technologies, thereby removing a significant barrier to the implementation of technological advances by local governments.

Defined by state statute, enhanced access allows for the immediate availability of public records for public inspection, purchase, or copying through digital means. Oakland County's Enhanced Access Project funds the technology necessary to make that data available through user fees. A portion of the revenue generated also is shared with local municipalities in return for access to their records, which then also are made available to the public through the county's enhanced access system.

The "enhanced access" to government information provides new benefits to county residents and businesses, including:

1) greater access to government information;

2) access to information at times other than normal business hours (including weekends);

3) need to travel to county offices to obtain records and necessary information is eliminated; and,

4) travel time, which can be costly to certain professions, is minimized or completely eliminated.

The county also benefits from enhanced access...