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Gov. Vilsack Announces "Results Iowa" Web Site

Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson yesterday launched a new state Web site http://www.resultsiowa.org/ designed to give Iowans a unique window into the performance of state government.

Govtech.net

"Government operates best under the scrutiny of the people to whom it is responsible," Vilsack said. "This site will be an important tool for improving our accountability to citizens, letting them know how we are doing with our efforts to provide a quality education to our children, make affordable health care accessible to families and seniors, protect the security of our communities and create jobs and opportunity for all Iowans."

The Web site is designed to be a "one-stop shop" of performance data about how Iowa state government is functioning. While the Iowa Department of Management (DOM) has been collecting much of this data for years, it was previously available primarily to department heads and administration officials.

"We have essentially given Iowans a window into state government that will allow them to be more engaged and involved and help them better understand how decisions are made and how their government is working," said Vilsack. "Every person in this state now has access to the very same information that policy-makers and the Lt. Governor and I have when we make important decisions about the state’s priorities and its future."

The site will be updated quarterly and includes the following:

•A memo from the governor and lt. governor outlining strengths and weaknesses demonstrated by recent agency data.
•Progress reports and clear charts detailing the status of Leadership Agenda priorities (new economy, education, health, safe communities and the environment).
•An "operational scan" that provides a quick overview of agency operations, government finance and economic indicators.
•Detailed performance information from each state agency, including mission, goals and an explanation of plans to improve outcomes.

Lt. Gov. Pederson praised the site’s accessibility and urged Iowans to add it to their list of browser "favorites."

"Results Iowa is an easy site to read, to use and to understand," she said. "I encourage people to take a few minutes and browse through a section important to them and then check back repeatedly to see how we’re doing. There’s even a place for providing feedback, and we look forward to hearing from citizens about our performance."

The governor said the Web site will be a valuable tool in not only encouraging public debate about state priorities, but also in helping various departments understand the overlapping effects they have on each other, Vilsack said.

"Our choices, trade-offs and performance in one area often have profound policy effects on another area," Vilsack said. "Bringing all our data together in one place helps us focus as a state more on outcomes and helps us make better choices enterprise-wide."

The site was designed by DOM and the Public Strategies Group (PSG), a public-sector consulting firm hired to partner with Iowa officials and help improve state government results. PSG shouldered the initial costs of design and set-up. DOM will maintain and manage the site.

http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=81209

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