BC municipalities link arms to improve use of IT

In April of this year, representatives from the information technology depa rtments of 20 B.C. municipalities and districts agreed to form a new Municipal Information Sys tems Association to promote greater cooperation among their organizations.

The representative group had been meeting every four to six months, informa lly, for several years. Many felt, however, that more structure was needed to add value. Most o f the municipalities represented at the April meeting have populations over 40,000.

To assist in creating the structure of the association, the attendees agree d to use the Municipal Information Systems Association (MISA) model, which has been in place in Ontario since 1968. This decision will also offer broader opportunities for cooperation on a national scale.

The attendees appointed a four - member executive to propose how the group will operate during its formative stages. Key concerns in setting up the new organization we re to maintain representation from senior I/T staff of each municipality, as well as ensure mee tings and events were well planned and as productive as possible.

The formation of the British Columbia association is a significant step for municipal cooperation across the province. It joins two other formal provincial associati ons in Ontario and Quebec. By putting these types of regional interest groups together, informatio n can be shared more easily but even more importantly, common solutions can be developed and dis tributed on a much broader and more cost - effective scale. Joint efforts with other nation al scope organizations such as CAMA (Canadian Association of Municipal Administration) an d FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) also become more practical.

Planned interaction between the Ontario and B.C. associations will initiall y be focused through the MISA Newsletter, the exchange of Membership Directory information an d contact among the executive members.

Information about the British Columbia association can be obtained by conta cting Rob Carnegie from District of Chilliwack at (604) 792 - 9311.

The Municipal Information Systems Association (Ontario) has always encourag ed out - of - Province municipal membership and today has members from British Columbia to Ha lifax. It is clear, however, that more value can be obtained from a focus on the provincia l commonalities and national municipal interests than on national interests alone.

To encourage and support the formation of other Provincial associations MIS A members agreed at the June annual meeting to reduce the affiliate membership cost. That cost is now $50 annually, instead of $200, if the municipality also belongs to a Municipal Information Systems - related Association in its own province.

From the inter - association contact over the past few months we have confi rmed that municipalities face many of the same IT issues across the country. The informat ion highway - - or lack of one -- remains the most discussed issue. In the case of British Co lumbia, initiatives by the BC Systems Corp. have gone a long way to provide a basis from which munic ipalities can exchange information among each other, with the provincial government and th eir ratepayers.

Specific services like BC On - line provide a basis for businesses, municip alities and individuals to access land, titles, assessment authority, rural property tax sys tems, companies registry and personal property registry data bases.

Neither Ontario nor Quebec municipalities have fared as well. No central telecommunications services are provided by either provincial government, and th e solution to interconnectivity of municipalities and their ratepayers is left to each individ ual organization to solve. In Ontario, the Province seems to have its own agenda and has shown litt le interest in municipal needs. Rationalizing the provincial networks through GO - NET (Govern ment of Ontario Network) is their first priority.

The second common area of attention is funding. All three provincial assoc iations have placed high priority on partnerships, joint ventures and the open exchange of in formation to attempt to reduce the costs of technological change. Sharing of product and req uirement research has been a key initiative supported by each.

The final area is one of expanding the membership and with that, the servic es of the associations. Two primary targets have been set by Ontario and Quebec groups: small municipalities without formal MIS staff, and other departments within the organi zations who utilize technology as an integral part of their operations.

The key element here is the increased offering of services to non - systems professionals. The realization is clear, that IT in municipal government has expanded far beyon d the computer room and the technocrats who manage it.

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Sep 1994
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