Every tax dollar counts for local governments. Mounting pension commitments, infrastructure in need of repair, and many other factors have tightened the financial vise. Post-recession, local governments saw state aid drop by 12.6 billion dollars between 2009 and 2010, while property taxes declined and 22 states saw a reduction in local government employees by up to 5 percent. While there’s been a slow rebound, funding and property tax dollars still haven’t returned to pre-recession levels in many states and provinces.

The legislative demand for improved accessibility, namely the need for citizens to access information online 24/7, continues to grow due in large part to programs like the US Federal Government’s Open Government Initiative. The financial picture is a bit different region to region, but the reality is local governments face a significant challenge — dealing with an expectation for improved service without any reprieve in budgetary pressure. The answer for many local government managers is to load additional responsibilities onto current staff — but how far can it go?