Baker to unveil government accountability tool in Prince George's The goal is simple: analyze data to help identify what is working and what isn't. From how long it takes to fill a pothole or respond to a call for police, to why so many animals are euthanized at the county shelter, CountyStat is designed to provide timely, useful data to officials - and to residents. Philip Joyce, a public policy professor at the University of Maryland and an expert on government accountability, said the the data can prompt useful questions. But, he said, "it doesn't necessarily give you the answers." Similar programs have long been in use in Baltimore and New York, where proponents say they have helped governments figure out how best to spend increasingly tight budgets and pinpoint where the needs are greatest. "It is a great accountability tool," said Baker, who ran on a platform of making government more open and accountable and hopes to make his second year in office the the time when he delivers on that promise. After he was elected in 2010, Baker inherited a 6,000- employee county government that can be difficult to navigate. While some departments in the $2.7 billion government are more successful than others at providing customer service, businesses and residents complain that tasks such as obtaining a permit can be a lengthy - and costly - challenge. Businesses and residents say they routinely need to make multiple trips to county offices, often in different parts of the county, to get things done. The county government and county council Web sites, which have the potential to make government more accessible, often are short on basics such as employee e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. Most of the CountyStat sessions will be open to the public, and the bulk of the findings will be posted on a CountyStat Web site, which should be operating by the end of the month. Closed sessions will be held only if they are needed to address personnel matters or certain public safety questions, said Adam Ortiz, head of the CountyStat office, which will have a budget of $300,000 this year. Ortiz said that as he delved into the data, he found that unifying collection systems could be the first challenge, because some county offices have computers and data collection systems that cannot "talk" to others in county government. That has made it difficult to see the big picture, let alone identify potential trouble spots. "Data and information is fragmented across the government," he said. The issue of foreclosures is an example. Jennie F. Nevin, a staffer in the CountyStat office, has been assessing data related to foreclosures. She said it is difficult to first figure out the people at risk of foreclosure and then connect them with county services to avoid eviction. "There is no central place for the information," she said. Brad Seamon, Baker's acting chief administrative officer, said CountyStat will help track the administration's progress in meeting its goals in public safety, health care, environmental protection and other areas. "It helps us see how and where the county's money is being spent," he said. Besides CountyStat, Baker soon will make available an online form that can be filled out by anyone seeking county services or information, and will set up a 311, non-emergency system that should take pressure off the 911 system and enable the government to better track calls and responses. Baker's next step in his accountability program is to unveil a plan to beef up the county's Ethics Commission, which has been largely dormant for the past several years even as then-County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) was operating a wide-ranging bribery scheme that has since landed him a seven-year term in federal prison.