Chiyah Municipality in Baabda District Opens Citizen Reception Office and Launches E-Municipality Initiative 

Chiyah Municipality, USAID, and the Center marked the official opening of the Citizen Reception Office and the launching of the E-Municipality initiative including an interactive website in a ceremony at the Chiyah Municipal building on December 11, 2008. The event also marked the launching of the Chiyah Municipal Citizen Guide and the implementation of the Municipal Geographic Information System (MGIS).

Citizen Reception Offices, E-municipality activities (encompassing the development of an interactive municipal website enabling online citizen services to be offered), the publishing of a citizen guide, and the introduction of MGIS, are complementary components of broad support organized to enhance municipal efficiency and fairness with respect to the processing of citizen transactions in support of improved local governance.

Prominent attendees at the event included USAID Program Management Specialist/Chief Accountant Lena Jammal, Acting Mount Lebanon Governor Antoine Sleiman, President of the Sahel Metn Janoubi Municipal Union Raymond Semaan, President of the Dahieh El Janoubieh Municipal Union Mohammad Al Khansa, as well mayors from neighboring cities, council members, community leaders, and directors of local educational and social institutions.

Following the welcoming remarks of Chiyah council member George Naoum, Chiyah Municipal President Edmond Gharios spoke about the importance of providing citizens with their rights without oppression or humiliation. He then explained the objective of the new Chiyah Cultural and Sport Center that was also to be inaugurated today. Municipal President Gharios highlighted as well the significance of the USAID and SUNY/CLD assistance in advancing the work of the Municipality, enabling it to emerge as a progressive, efficient institution with an increasingly sound financial base.

On behalf of the donor agency, Regional Director for SUNY/CLD Mahmoud Batlouni emphasized the critical role of municipalities in Lebanon in local economic development and in establishing a dynamic of improved governance that encourages more democratic processes at the national level. He further highlighted the fundamental transformation in Chiyah at the administrative and financial levels as a result of the efforts made by the President, council members, and employees which was reflected in a substantial increase in directly collected taxes and fees rising from approximately $1.05 million in 2006 to $1.54 million in 2008, a cumulative increase of 46%

Following the opening remarks, presentations were given by experts from SUNY/CLD detailing in particular the importance of the Citizen Reception Offices and the Municipal GIS.

Modern customer service facilities organized to streamline and standardize the processing of citizen transactions, Citizen Reception Offices serve as the institutional base that allows E-municipality citizen services such as accessing tax records to be introduced through interactive websites. Specifically, citizens in Chiyah can visit www.chiyah.gov.lb to access general information regarding municipal work, administrative and financial information related to transactions, and the municipal budget for recent years. Beyond general information and as part of E-municipality services, citizens can access online their municipal tax record that includes detailed historical tax payments, current obligations, and additional information such as due dates and penalty grace periods. Taxpayers can create a user account and password to ensure confidentiality of tax records, and send comments, suggestions, or complaints directly to municipal officials from the site.

The citizen component of E-Municipality complements the internal administrative systems that allow citizens to track online the status of any transaction made at the Citizen Reception Office using a designated user name and password received at the time of submission. For citizens without access to the internet, the Chiyah Municipal Citizen Guide compiles detailed transaction information including forms, document requirements, fees, and estimated processing times and is widely available at the Citizen Reception Office.

Related efforts involve the implementation in Chiyah Municipality of the Municipal GIS (MGIS), a powerful tool that supports enhanced taxation, inspection, and auditing capacities ultimately enabling revenues to be expanded. Allowing officials to better promote transparency in the assessment and collection of taxes, the MGIS can also be used by the municipal council to support planning activities related to numerous areas of concern including infrastructure, economic development, and the environment.

Following the presentations, Municipal President Edmond Gharios presented plaques of appreciation to Mrs. Lena Jammal of USAID and SUNY/CLD Regional Director Mahmoud Batlouni in recognition of the important USAID assistance to Chiyah Municipality under the current program.