Hornsby Shire Council - Councils Online Services
The Hornsby Shire is located 25kms north of the Sydney CBD, with the Hawkesbury River forming its northern boundary. It is the second largest local government area in the Sydney region, covering 510 square kilometres.
Hornsby Shire Council is leading the way in providing residents with online access to council information and services. Following the success of the online development and application enquiry and tracking tool it launched in August 2006, the council has now made many other services available online.
What is Councils Online Services?
Councils Online Services provides a fully integrated, single point of online access to a wide range of council services, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It allows council customers (ratepayers, residents and businesses) to pay for applications, licences and rates, submit applications, make licence requests and planning enquiries, update their contact details, submit a service request and much more.
Councils Online Services was developed by a syndicate of five New South Wales local councils; Hornsby, Lake Macquarie, Parramatta, Randwick and Wyong. Hornsby was the lead partner in the project and the first to implement the new system.
Features of Councils Online Services
The Councils Online Services system is available to both registered and unregistered customers, but customers gain access to additional services and functionality by registering. To become a registered user, customers register their details through Councils Online Services and receive a login and password to gain access to additional services.
The services available to registered and unregistered users include being able to make any payment, application or development enquiry, submit a service request or browse the library catalogue. In addition, registered users can also request property certificates, update contact details, submit an application, submit a licence or permit request, view and pay accounts and log and track service requests.
Importantly, the system's interoperability and inbuilt security controls protect confidential and personal information available via Council Online Services.
Councils Online Services was developed in partnership with software partners, Capgemini Australia, Oracle Australia, Geac Local Government and InfoMaster, and integrates directly with Hornsby Council's back office systems.
The complete suite of online services is available through the following solutions:
- Geac's ePathway solution delivers most of the facilities, including online payments, application and permit submissions, certificate requests and delivery, and viewing or updating of contact details.
- Oracle's Support product is used for submitting customer requests, either as a registered user or anonymously.
- InfoMaster's Masterview product provides the development application enquiry and property development pre-lodgement enquiry.
- Oracle's ePortal brings all the applications to a central point of access and provides a single logon to all services via http://portal.councilsonline.com.au/hornsby. This allows customers to register once and then be automatically registered in all the solutions and associated with their records in the back office products. The association with back office products allows customers to view all their dealings with the council, regardless of whether the transactions were processed via the internet or through other communication channels.
Accessibility and usability of Councils Online Services
Key internal stakeholders, general council staff and elected members were given an opportunity to provide input to the overall design and test it to ensure the system was accessible and usable. In addition, customers were able to participate in focus groups to provide feedback before the new system was released to the community. Focus group participants ranged in age from the mid-20s to 80s, and internet skill levels ranged from information technology professionals to those who use the internet only occasionally in the library.
The feedback from participants was positive, and resulted in only slight changes, such as reducing the number of words and providing a more graphical interface. In other words, the message from customers was to "keep it simple".
Outcomes for government and customers
With the introduction of the new Councils Online Services system, the days of having to physically visit council to complete or hand in paperwork are gone. Furthermore, customers can access the new system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and thus are no longer restricted to doing business during the traditional council operating hours of 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. This makes personal and business dealings with the council much easier.
Because the system has been developed to integrate directly with the council's back office systems, there is increased customer service via enhanced access to real-time information and transactions. At the same time, council's costs are reduced and its productivity enhanced. For example, payments for rates, sundry debtors, applications and permits can be made at any time and balances are updated immediately to council's back office systems. Since the council implemented its online development application enquiry and tracking tool in August 2006, enquiries to council officers have decreased by an estimated 30 per cent.
One of the most successful services is the ability for solicitors, conveyancers, ratepayers and property agents to request and pay for section 149, 603, 88G and 735 certificates online. This has significantly reduced the processing time for council staff as details of the requests and payments are updated immediately to the system and an email sent to the actioning officer. This also saves time for customers as they do not have to complete forms and either mail or attend council to make their submission and payment. At this stage, there has been a minimum reduction of two days in the turnaround time for a section 149 certificate, while the average turnaround for electronically lodged section 603 certificates is two business hours.
Customers and council staff also benefit from registered users being able to track the progress of their requests and customers may even be able to resolve issues as the system provides them with links to information about their particular request.
Customers can view and update their contact details, which results in accuracy and integrity of customer information.
Future directions for Councils Online Services
While other councils are scheduled to roll out the new system later in 2007, Hornsby Shire Council is developing and testing additional services to be implemented during the year. These services include the ability to reserve council facilities (such as parks and halls), book library computers and study rooms, and apply for positions online and then track the progress of an application. The council also plans to provide a graphical view of properties and information about them by using web interfaces to its geographical information system.
This new delivery mechanism provides many challenges and opportunities for council to become more productive, accountable and focused on customers as it enters a new era in providing online business services as agreed with the community.
Project URL: http://portal.councilsonline.com.au/hornsby [
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Implementation date: 18 December 2006
Agency: Hornsby Shire Council
Contact name: Mr Craig Munns
Contact for information on this page: better.practice@finance.gov.au