Zouk Mosbeh Launches E-Municipality

With assistance from USAID and SUNY/CLD Zouk Mosbeh Municipality in a ceremony September 14, 2008 marked the official launching of E-municipality activities - including development of an interactive municipal website - designed to encourage greater transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness in providing services and information to constituents.

Attended by a number of dignitaries including Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ziad Baroud as well as current and former MPs and regional government officials, the event included a brief introduction and summary of recent municipal achievements given by Vice-Mayor Georges Mghammes who spoke on behalf of Mayor Elias El Hajj.

An overview of the Municipal Governance Assistance Program highlighting the successful modernization of municipal work in Lebanon accomplished to date as a result of the USAID and SUNY/CLD support was provided by the Center's Regional Manager Mahmoud Batlouni. A demonstration of the online citizen services available through the new website was then given by SUNY/CLD team members.

Citizens in Zouk Mosbeh can now track online - by accessing the municipal website created as part of the project – the status of their municipal tax records including detailed historical tax payments, current obligations, and additional information such as due dates and penalty grace periods. Tax payers can create a user account and password on the website to ensure confidentiality of records.

The website also contains detailed information regarding municipal work and citizen obligations, as well as general information of interest to tourists, potential investors, and others. In addition, the website provides a mechanism for comments, complaints, or suggestions to be sent directly to municipal officials from the site.

An important component of overall efforts to improve the quality of local governance through enhanced administrative, financial, and technical capacities of beneficiary institutions, E-Municipality activities implemented to date serve as a critical base for future citizen services such as online payment of taxes