Open Government

Chapter 34. Case Study: Utah.gov

David Fletcher

A Historical Perspective

Fifteen years ago, a group of Utah government leaders met in the basement of the state office building to listen to a presentation on how to use the Netscape browser. At that time, they had no idea that this new tool would completely change the nature of their work and in many cases even eliminate much of what they did and replace it with something dramatically different.

In 1993, Governor Mike Leavitt talked to state workers about an information highway. He stated, “I believe we are entering an exciting new era in society…our world is becoming an information ecosystem, and the ramifications are monumental. Futurists believe there will be a massive shift in the nature of work and that the impact of the information age may be as great as the societal changes that occurred during the industrial revolution” (http://www.governor.state.ut.us/governor/elhighwy.htm). He followed up on that vision with a challenge that included five basic parts:

• In government, we must change the way we think. We must think of technology, think of new applications, and think of new ways of doing things.

• We must use existing resources and find ways to reallocate them, rather than raise taxes.

• We must “put the state of Utah at citizens’ fingertips.” (He issued the first call to deliver specific services, including driver’s license renewals, tax payments, and fishing license purchases, electronically.)

• Agencies must make “enormous amounts” of ...