e-License
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Departments of Natural Resources and Information Technology, over 10,215 hunters were able to apply for and purchase their permit to go Bear hunting online this year.
Today, many state licenses are available on-line with 24/7 access, enabling citizens to use state services anytime from anywhere.
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The results of the Cabinet Action Planning process were clear – teamwork is necessary to deliver the best government. As much as the State of Michigan has accomplished, this administration saw an opportunity to do better. The governor asked the cabinet to stretch, to strive for excellence, to work together to determine exactly where Michigan should be in the future, and to bust silos to deliver the results Michigan citizens demand. Cabinet agency planning would become more inclusive, more proactive, and more focused than ever as the cabinet joined forces in Budgeting for Outcomes.
In the fall of 2004, the Granholm Cabinet convened to develop a new, collaborative approach to aligning the resources of Michigan’s government with the outcomes citizens demand. The cabinet heard the voices of the citizens of Michigan, which are routinely captured by the Institute of Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) at Michigan State University. The cabinet learned from Brookings Institution’s Bruce Katz about the key factors that drive economic prosperity. The cabinet envisioned Michigan’s future as Kurt Metzger of Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies presented a vision of how Michigan’s citizens will look in the future.
With a clearer understanding of what they needed to do to reach the Governor’s vision of a better Michigan, the cabinet members and key policy experts convened in priority area work groups to further define where Michigan is going and how to get there. The Governor worked from group to group, asking each member to think outside of their silo and work together to determine the best direction for state government to succeed in each priority area. The teams set stretch goals for the priority areas and laid a foundation of teamwork and inclusion upon which Budgeting for Outcomes is built.
Tasked with lofty goals, priority area work groups convened for several months to establish what the State of Michigan can do to achieve more with the resources the citizens are willing to invest. Priority area work groups consisted of cabinet members, key staff, subject matter experts, departmental budget liaisons, and representatives from the Office of the State Budget. The teams leveraged the knowledge of all members to develop detailed plans for Michigan’s future.
They began working by establishing a common framework around which budget plans would develop. From the targets established by the cabinet, the work groups developed a goal for serving the citizens in each priority area. To specify what each goal required the
work groups established strategies for attaining each goal. For each strategy, the work group detailed indicators of success to which they assigned measurable targets. This framework guided the tough decision of what results state government will deliver.
Zero Tolerance for Felons with Guns
The Michigan Department of Corrections, in conjunction with many local law enforcement and police agencies, is working hard to help make the cities and communities of Michigansafe. Since July 2004, any parolee proven to be in possession of a firearm or with a person in possession of a firearm has been returned to prison for a period of 5 years or the maximum allowed by the sentence. While the Department of Corrections has warned and educated all of the convicted felons under their jurisdiction of the consequences of being around firearms, some offenders have not responded as expected.
As of May 16, 2005, there have been 59 parole violators who have had their parole revoked and have been returned to prison for 5 years or the balance of their sentence..
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Choosing the Best Activities for Moving Michigan Forward
With the goal and strategy framework in place, each agency developed a detailed analysis of all of its current and proposed activities. Departments analyzed not only current activities, but also the new activities that captured the innovative ideas developed by the priority area work groups. Each activity analysis captured its costs and benefits as well how it aligned to the goal and strategy framework.
The priority area work groups convened to compare the analyses of all of the activities aligned to each priority area. Activities were ranked by how efficient each was in delivering the citizen benefits captured in the strategies. While each activity delivered valuable benefits to Michigan’s citizens, the reality of Michigan’s fiscal situation required a closer look.
As the priority area work groups ranked activities by the results they delivered, the Office of the State Budget and Department of Treasury determined how much Michigan citizens and businesses were willing to spend by establishing an estimate of revenues for the budget year. Within this cost constraint, the cabinet determined how much state government would spend on each priority and “drew the line.” Activities remaining above the line will be pursued, while activities below the line will be delayed until they can be done more efficiently or they become a higher priority to the citizens.
This process resulted in all departments working together to identify a better way to achieve what the citizens really want. Each department has aligned its actions to play a part in delivering the right results, contributing what it can while leveraging the strengths of others. The results of this unprecedented cooperation are published in the 2005-06 Executive Budget Book, which outlines Governor Granholm’s proposal for what the State of Michigan will do in the coming budget year.
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