For the 50,000 residents of Ilidža , 90 percent of the government documents or applications they need can be found in one place, which makes both citizens and government employees happy, according to Ilidža’s mayor.

Having a citizen service center, a “one-stop shop” that serves the majority of citizens’ needs, has been one of the best things that could have happened to the municipality, Mayor Amer Cenanović told America.gov.

Ilidža is one of about 70 municipalities participating in the Governance Accountability Project (GAP), a program co-founded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Swedish International Development Agency and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. These municipalities have or will soon open citizen service centers where citizens can get copies of documents they need, such as birth certificates or building permits.

Each center is equipped with computers and the software they need to access government data, meaning information that used to be stored in numerous places is now available at a click of a button. Employees receive training in how to use computer databases, helping them become more efficient and productive, Cenanović said.

For Zdravko Krsmanović, mayor of the 23,000-person town of Foča, the citizen service center has not only changed the way the town provides services, but how government employees interact with citizens. Employees have learned not only how to access about 50 years of data electronically, they also received training in customer service, which has changed the way employees think about their work and responsibilities, he said. Working with GAP has changed the entire town’s working attitude and mentality, he told America.gov.

Before , most employees had no experience with technology and the tools that can be used to deliver government services more quickly. Now government employees are in a position to teach others, including local university students who are interning with the municipality. After receiving the training, some students may choose to work in Foča upon graduation, Krsmanović said.

Citizens in the 4,000-person town of Trnovo are much happier with government services since its citizen service center opened in November 2008, said Mayor Goran Vujičić. Residents, who are used to directly engaging with their mayor, tell him they are impressed by the quality of this service.

When there is a problem, citizens can leave a complaint in the center’s comment book. All comments are logged into an electronic system so that staff reads and responds to each one.

GAP has helped municipalities plan capital improvement projects, such as building new bridges.

Many citizen service centers have a special section for dealing with urban permits and other land-use issues. These sections help citizens and potential business owners navigate often complex procedures for owning and building on land. When investors hear that getting permits is a simple process that can be completed in just days, they are more willing to consider the municipality for its business, Vujičić said.

CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT

Citizen service centers are built in partnership — municipalities contribute money to the project as well. For GAP administrators, the goal is not just to help municipalities provide better service, but to provide a framework for government accountability.

GAP is not like a nongovernmental organization that gives money and then leaves town, Krsmanović said. Rather, GAP aims to work side by side with municipalities to open these centers and plan capital improvements.

As with the citizen service centers, most of GAP’s other projects are jointly funded by the municipality, giving them a sense of ownership and responsibility for their projects. Capital improvement projects are implemented in accordance with European Union (EU) guidelines, helping prepare municipalities to be in line with European regulations should Bosnia-Herzegovina join the EU.

In Foča, GAP has helped the town build a bridge that makes it easier for hundreds of students to walk to school. In Trnovo and Ilidža, GAP is helping the municipalities develop electronic libraries that will help them manage large volumes of municipal documents.

Each of these projects was selected with citizens’ input. Part of GAP’s goal is to help municipalities develop processes for ongoing community engagement. More than 500 employees across all GAP municipalities have been trained on how to develop and gather public input, for example, by conducting surveys and focus groups or by hosting public hearings. Municipalities also develop a municipal action plan that outlines projects GAP will help implement. Citizens and officials work together to select and set priorities for the projects.

For many citizens, being active in government is a new concept, Vujičić said. Trnovo holds public debates on its budget and other municipal issues, although turnout is often low. Participating in these hearings is the best opportunity for citizens to discuss their ideas with municipal officials, he said, which is why citizens need to be educated about the ways they can be involved in the decisionmaking process.

Ilidža also holds public budget meetings and often sends municipal officials to local neighborhoods to discuss government plans, its mayor said. Implementing the citizens’ needs is also in the interest of public officials, Cenanović said.