Consulting and Technical Assistance Projects
Evaluation of Video-Conferencing Pilot Programs
In May 2009, Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals issued an
order authorizing courts to conduct pilot programs in which certain judicial proceedings
would be conducted via video-conferencing. Pilot programs were developed for
video-conferencing of inmate grievance appeal hearings in Allegany, Anne Arundel, and
Somerset Counties; ex parte hearings on temporary protective orders (TPOs) in
Montgomery County; and consults with children covered by the Children in Need of
Assistance (CINA) program in Baltimore City. The order authorizing video-conferencing
pilot programs requires that the State Court Administrator evaluate each pilot.
Evaluations of the three pilots were conducted by IGSR in collaboration with the
Administrative Office of the Courts, Court Operations Department. Major benefits of the
inmate grievance appeal hearing pilot are reduced risk of harm to court and correctional
staff, attorneys for the Division of Correction, and the public because inmates are no
longer brought to courthouses for grievance appeal hearings; reduced cost and time
involved in transporting inmates; and reductions in attorneys' travel costs and time. The
pilot program appears to be operating to the satisfaction of the participating organizations.
The pilot program for ex parte TPO hearings also appears to be performing as
intended and to the satisfaction of the participating organizations. The pilot has
improved access to justice by providing greater convenience to petitioners that
encourages their follow-through with attendance at hearings, but it has yet to demonstrate
its full potential in terms of the numbers of petitioners served. The report on video
conferencing of CINA consults is forthcoming.
Parks and Grounds Operation Review for the City of Bowie
IGSR conducted an operational and performance review of the City of Bowie, Maryland's
Parks and Grounds Division, which is not only responsible for maintaining Bowie's
parks and the grounds of all City buildings, but also stormwater management maintenance.
The study compared the Division's performance in eight responsibility areas to the
following benchmark municipalities: Annapolis, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt, Laurel, and
Rockville. The eight responsibility areas were: Ballfield Turf Maintenance;
Non-Ballfield Turf Maintenance; Park System Activities; Horticulture; Forestry;
Seasonal Activities; Equipment Maintenance; and Stormwater Management. Information on
workload and performance was obtained from questionnaires, interviews, and analyses
of City documents. To compare the Division to the other jurisdictions, city
administrators were surveyed and interviewed. The findings and recommendations
documented in the report are intended to assist city officials in their ongoing
effort to improve public services, streamline processes, and reduce costs.
Strategic Planning for the City of Annapolis
IGSR is assisting the City of Annapolis in developing a strategic plan by organizing
and facilitating meetings of the strategic planning team; helping the team articulate a
vision for the city; assisting in identifying key stakeholders; conducting stakeholder
focus groups and interviews designed to reveal different perspectives; compiling and
presenting to the strategic planning team the information gained from the focus groups
and interviews; and assisting the strategic planning team in identifying strategic issues
and goals and objectives for managing these issues.
Facilitation Assistance to Affordable Housing Coalition of Talbot County
IGSR assisted the Affordable Housing Coalition of Talbot County, Maryland, by
providing meeting design and facilitation services. The Coalition had developed an
initiative to revitalize a community in the center of Easton by offering incentives to
owners to improve their properties. Prior to applying for a grant to fund the
initiative, the Coalition sought to obtain input from the property owners on
elements of the proposed project and a sense of whether they would be likely to
participate. The Coalition wanted an impartial outside entity to design and
facilitate a meeting to discuss the initiative with property owners and Town of
Easton Officials, and IGSR fulfilled this role.
American Community Management Educational Program Investigation
IGSR undertook a needs assessment for American Community Management, Inc. (ACM), which
provides community management services to homeowner associations throughout Maryland. The
project focused on the educational needs of both homeowner volunteers on the governing
boards of common ownership communities served by the company and its professional staff
of community managers. A literature review of educational programs for the target audience
of volunteer homeowner board members and community managers was conducted, and ACM
community managers and pertinent staff were interviewed. The study also included focus
groups of current and former homeowner volunteers serving as board members in ACM
communities. The findings and recommendations documented in the report are intended to
assist ACM in its consideration of enhanced educational opportunities for homeowner
volunteers and community managers.
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Principal Investigator: Heather V. Fogg
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Strategic Plan for Eastern Shore Regional Library
IGSR assisted a Strategic Planning Committee with devloping a strategic plan for
the Eastern Shore Regional Library (ESRL) system. The strategic plan developed spans the
years of 2012 through 2015. IGSR conducted a series of focus groups and developed an
online survey as part of its data collection process to assess the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats (SWOT) face by the library system. The collected data was
parsed and consolidated into tables to assist the Strategic Planning Committee in meeting
their goals.
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Principal Investigator:
Robin Parker Cox
Co-Principal Investigator: Heather V. Fogg
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Evaluation of Community Prosecution in Two State's Attorney's Offices
Through individual interviews and survey responses from State's Attorney's Office staff, local
police departments and community organizations, IGSR researchers gathered data on the daily operations,
goals, and collaborative relationships created by both community prosecurtion and traditional
prosecution units, with special focus on cases of gun violence. The research found that problem-solving
is highly regarded by both traditional and community prosecutors. However, the offices are only
beginning to achieve a problem-solving focus. The project developed recommendations for further
areas of development and future outcome evaluations of community prosecution.
Implementing CompStat and Crime Analysis in Maryland Law Enforcement Agencies
The overarching purpose of this initiative is to expand the implementation and
institutionalization of CompStat and crime analysis in police agencies across Maryland by
providing training and tailored assistance as well as by making available best practices and
products in these areas. The project team combines researchers and practitioners with
knowledge and experience in implementing important components of CompStat and crime
analysis, such as leadership, the problem solving process, crime analysis and mapping
techniques, and accountability strategies. The project team has developed a multi-phased
plan that delivers tailored assistance and training to police agencies at various levels
of implementation. Two project websites,
www.compstat.umd.edu and
www.crimeanalysis.umd.edu,
are maintained as part of the initiative to provide CompStat and crime analysis resources
and information to Maryland police agencies and agencies around the world. The Maryland
Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention is funding this project under grant
number BJAG-2009-1306.
Estimating the Fiscal Impacts of New Developments
and Annexations
In anticipation of growth pressures associated with Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
activities at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the City of Aberdeen sought to estimate the impacts of
new development on the City’s infrastructure and services. Drawing on the approach of Burchell
and Listokin and impact fee studies by Tischler and Associates, IGSR developed a model to
estimate the impacts on capital and operating budgets and to establish development impact
fees. Designed to handle commercial, residential, and mixed-use development, the model was
applied to five proposed developments then under review by the City of Aberdeen.
Analysis of Potential Zoning Changes and the Impacts on Property Values in
Carroll County
Facing growth pressures under its current zoning scheme that would include an
additional 40,000 residents, Carroll County’s services and infrastructure would be
severely strained by such an increase in population. Carroll County began exploring
zoning changes that would ease the impacts of such growth and development. Working
closely with the Planning Department, IGSR conducted a peer review of the Department
of Planning’s analysis of the impact of development under several potential changes
to current land use and zoning designations, then disclosed findings and offered
suggestions on key issues. The investigation began with an analysis and review of a
pre-decisional working draft and a critique of the fiscal impact analysis using
various scenarios that involved changes in zoning within the jurisdiction. In an
effort to explore the zoning changes that would decrease the level and impact of new
development, IGSR also developed an estimate of the impact on property values
associated with the potential zoning changes.
Fiscal Impact on the Town of North East of the Proposed Annexation of the Futty
Property
The Town of North East in Cecil County proposed the annexation of a 210-acre property
for the development of single-family homes with set-asides for stream buffers, storm
water management areas, open space, and recreational facilities. IGSR conducted the
fiscal impact study of annexing the property addressing three major concerns:
(1) whether the revenue of the proposed annexation generated to the Town would be
sufficient to offset additional operating costs to service the area; (2) the fiscal
impacts incurred by the Town during the build-out period; and (3) estimating the
additional capital costs faced by the Town to accommodate new residents to the area.
The analysis used various fiscal impact and computation models as well as historical
development information to generate estimates and support findings.
Strategic Planning Process Design and Facilitation for the Town of Bel Air
The Town of Bel Air enlisted IGSR to design and facilitate a strategic planning
process to implement changes to their 2006-2011 Strategic Plan. A three-step process was
designed that included pre-planning phases to the draft review and approval phase by the
Town Board of Commissioners. Facilitation included conducting focus groups, goal setting,
designing implementation strategies, developing a Strategic Plan Steering Committee, and
the development of a draft plan for public review and approval.
Department of Juvenile Services: Developing an Integrated Assessment System
This project deploys web- and network-based applications and solutions in conjunction
with existing IGSR and state Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) technology to compile
accurate statistics and reliable information on several aspects of the state juvenile program.
IGSR’s role is to design, program, and implement software and technical solutions to capture,
track and share data for screening and needs assessments, treatment planning, case management
and other functional areas as a supplement to the existing ASSIST system.
Maryland Office of Problem-Solving Courts and SMART
IGSR is providing, operating, and maintaining software and hardware, as well as
providing the training and technical support required for the implementation of the
Statewide Maryland Automated Record Tracking system (SMART) as the case management
automated tracking system for all drug courts in Maryland.
Statewide Maryland Automated Record Tracking System (SMART)
IGSR, with funding from the Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration (ADAA),
is customizing, programming, enhancing, implementing, supporting, managing, and
maintaining a Statewide Maryland Automated Record Tracking system (SMART) based upon
the federal Web Infrastructure for Treatment Services (WITS) project. SMART programming
includes additions and modifications to existing WITS screens, database structure, and
functionality necessary to meet ADAA data and outcome tracking within Maryland. The
WITS project is a federally developed software package that has modules that aid states
receiving Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Federal Block Grant Funding in
the collection and coordination of treatment episode data. The data are needed for ADAA
reporting to the Health and Human Services/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), which is the SAPT Block Grant funding source. The SMART software
and system are designed to track data the state collects in the federal Treatment Episode
Data Set (TEDS) format and allow ADAA to meet federal data submission requirements from the
Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
