Vermont gives its portal a much-needed makeover

Vermont officials are heeding the call from residents to make the state Web site more resident-friendly by adding tax filing, motor vehicle services and other electronic transactions.“Over the past year, different agencies have heard from residents asking to renew their driver’s licenses or file taxes online, and we took their suggestions and are bringing those services online,” state CIO Patricia Urban said. “We are probably in the last quarter of states to bring these services online, but we felt there was a lot to learn and we are now ready.”The state hired Anexsys LLC of Chicago to overhaul the state’s portal. Anexsys’ first project will be online income tax filing for residents, which Urban said will be in place by January.Online vehicle registration and renewals will come next, and a new home page for the portal also is on the short list.Urban said the deal with Anexsys costs the state nothing up front.“We have a master agreement with Anexsys, and each new functionality will be done by agency task order,” Urban said. “The agency can decide whether to pay Anexsys up front or through fees charged to the residents for using the service.”Anexsys also will help organize the portal and provide a similar look and feel for each site, Urban added.