Utah now provides more than 870 online services to citizens and businesses. Many of these are common services such as renewing driver’s licenses, purchasing a fishing license, and paying taxes. Over the years, the state has learned how to improve online service through citizen interaction. In 2003, it became the first state to implement a 24/7 online chat service, allowing citizens direct contact with service personnel when they have questions. The state also includes an optional feedback channel with most services and has received thousands of responses that have been useful in improving the quality of service.
This new era of openness did not come easy. In 1995, there was still a lot of concern about how the Internet would be used. Leaders in every branch of Utah government worried about how their employees would utilize this new phenomenon and how it would affect their productivity. Some agencies banned use of the Internet while they worked to understand how to use it.
When streaming media first became available, there were debates about how much access the public should have to legislative hearings and meetings and how it would affect open discussion among legislators. Today, that same legislature pushes for more openness each year. In 2007, it passed a new law creating a public meeting notice system that required information regarding all state and local government meetings to be posted in a statewide system where anyone could find it. A year later, it passed a bill requiring that all state financial records be made available online and then extended that requirement to local government (http://transparent.utah.gov). “Government transparency has become a reality in Utah,” said Lt. Governor Gary Herbert. “This site allows everyone to see where and how their tax dollars are being spent. This commitment to openness and transparency will strengthen our state management.” News media and others interested in government spending no longer need to make special requests to agencies; they can find every expenditure online. Utah’s cities, counties, school districts, transit districts, and so forth will be providing their finances online within the next two years, since the state legislature expanded the bill creating the system to all local governments within Utah.