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Making Informed Decisions with Data About ten years ago, our team at the City of Baton Rouge began hearing terms we had never heard before – things like open data, performance management, data governance, and more. It isn’t that these were necessarily new terms. It’s that they were practices that the private sector primarily used, followed by larger cities with more resources. Like so many IT departments in cities our size and smaller, our Department of Information Services historically focused on the traditional IT needs of our internal customers – networking, I am sharing all these details not to brag or boast, but to encourage any municipality seeking to be more transparent in their government operations and use data to make more informed decisions to start down a similar path. computer and desktop support, and application development, among other functions. But we began learning about these practices that were new to us involving leveraging technology in new and exciting ways – to be a more transparent government, to drive innovative thinking in how we structure programs and services, and to use data more intentionally to make better decisions. I will admit that it felt overwhelming to start. Many larger cities had well-established data, transparency, and performance management programs, with a wealth of resources and infrastructure to guide their efforts. Not only were we lacking in the same level of resources, but we also knew it would involve a culture shift to help both our team and other departments realize the benefits of working differently versus the way we and they had always worked. We took our time studying other cities and borrowing best practices, where we had the benefit of learning from both their successes and challenges. We launched Open Data BR with ten priority datasets that we knew would add immediate value to both the Baton Rouge community and our internal departments, thereby building confidence and trust in our work. We built clear structures and defined processes for making data more accessible to the public and other departments without compromising protected information. And we engaged the community in this new approach, holding dozens of presentations with groups ranging from homeowner associations and retiree groups to college classrooms and app developers. We also focused on making data available in multiple formats, such as taking standard datasets and integrating them into a map-based platform we call Open Neighborhood BR, which allows residents to search and view details on what goes on around where they live – from public safety and fire incidents to new permitting activity. We also continued investing in our EBRGIS program, building maps and map-based tools that brought our data to life in helpful and engaging ways. Over the past several years, we have shifted from a heavy focus on establishing the structure for transparency and data-driven collaboration to using the data to make better decisions. For example, when our community experienced several public safety incidents involving local hotels and motels, we leveraged location-based data to inform new ordinances and direct enforcement plans in areas where these issues were most prevalent. We started using maps and tablets in the field to better coordinate how we efficiently responded to potholes or other complaints in a given geographic area. The foundation we set in Open Data BR enabled other tools like Open Budget BR, which digitized our 500+ page budget book into an easily searchable and viewable public resource, and Open Checkbook BR, which integrates with our budget platform and provides detailed information on real-time spending across City-Parish government. I am sharing all these details not to brag or boast, but to encourage any municipality seeking to be more transparent in their government operations and use data to make more informed decisions to start down a similar path. It takes time to do it right, and as you can tell, we are ten years down the road and continuing to build on our successes. But I will say confidently that it has absolutely been worth it. Our City-Parish operates more efficiently, our residents have greater access to our data and trust in our work, and other areas of our community are benefiting from the brand we are building for Baton Rouge in being a more digital city. by Eric Romero City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge Romero is Director of Information Services with the City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge. He can be reached by emailing eromero@brla.gov. Page 22 LMR | OCTOBER 2023
2023 Annual Meeting November 3, 2023 Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans REGISTER ONLINE! www.lamppool.com John M. Schroder Louisiana State Treasurer LAMP, Inc. President Events Include: Opening Welcome Reception Galatoire’s Restaurant Balcony Room Thursday, November 2, 2023 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Breakfast Buffet Hotel Monteleone Friday, November 3, 2023 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Annual Membership Meeting Hotel Monteleone Friday, November 3, 2023 9:00 – Noon Annual Luncheon Hotel Monteleone Friday, November 3, 2023 Noon LMR | OCTOBER 2023 Page 23
Page 1 and 2: 10.23Louisiana Louisiana MUNICIPAL
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS | OCTOBER OBER 2023 DIRECT
Page 5 and 6: PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We Are Better
Page 7 and 8: TREASURY NOTES Money in the Newspap
Page 9 and 10: ecause of how it all works together
Page 11 and 12: for our Sportsman’s Paradise - na
Page 13 and 14: a threat, the threat immediately go
Page 15 and 16: LMR | OCTOBER 2023 Page 15
Page 17 and 18: and state funding today, or for tho
Page 19 and 20: ALWAYS ON FOR YOU. JOHN M. SCHRODER
Page 21: get ordinance. The Local Government
Page 25 and 26: Tallulah Mayor Charles Finlayson ex
Page 27 and 28: 2023 Gubernatorial Primary Election
Page 29 and 30: ical highs in 2022 but has been sta
Page 31 and 32: BBQ, Bourbon and Blues Festival Nov

October 2023

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