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Regional Geographic Information System could lower costs for St. Lawrence County government

Posted 3/1/12

A regional GIS, or geographic information system, could help lower costs for local governments within the region, and State Sen. Patty Ritchie is promoting the idea. “At a time when everyone is …

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Regional Geographic Information System could lower costs for St. Lawrence County government

Posted

A regional GIS, or geographic information system, could help lower costs for local governments within the region, and State Sen. Patty Ritchie is promoting the idea.

“At a time when everyone is asking government to do more with less, I think it’s important to single out municipalities and agencies that are working together to develop innovative programs that could be a model for our state and nation,” Ritchie said.

GIS has become a valuable tool for mapping, planning, and keeping track of assets, and most communities employ it in one form or another.

Ritchie says that Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, Watertown and the Tug Hill Commission are partnering with the Development Authority of the North Country to create a regional system that can put a variety information at the fingertips of local officials.

Ritchie is joining the agencies in urging the New York State Department of State to provide funding to develop the regional system.

“As communities wrestle with the problems of replacing aging infrastructure and responding to the needs of new developments, it is critical to take advantage of the opportunities web-based information systems offer to insure that taxpayer resources are used where we can get the best bang for our bucks,” Ritchie said.

“Local governments are struggling to maintain their existing information services as budgets tighten,” said the Heuvelton Republican. “These systems often represent a large capital investment and many organizations are at risk of losing these critical programs that actually provide costs savings through improved efficiencies and expanded opportunity for development.

“It exemplifies how some communities and agencies are re-thinking how municipalities deliver public services,” Ritchie said. “This kind of effort will help local streamline programs, lower expenses to local taxpayers while improving service delivery.”