THE PAPERLESS CITY - SMARTGovsmartgovcommunity.com/smartgovcommunity/wp-content/... · 2017-04-26 · a strategy for a paperless management system. ... Before they implemented paperless

800.532.8448 www.smartgovcommunity.comv04.17©2017 Paladin Data Systems

A SOLUTIONS PAPER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT BY KIM BROOKS

THE PAPERLESS CITY100% DIGITAL PLANNING MANAGEMENT IN MARICOPA, AZ

800.532.8448 www.smartgovcommunity.com

Paladin Data Systems 19362 Powder Hill Place NE Poulsbo, WA 98370 p 360.779.2400

THE CITY OF MARICOPA ARIZONA CREATES FIRST 100% PAPERLESS PROGRAM FOR ALL DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS LICENSES, AND CODE ENFORCEMENTMaricopa, Arizona is a young city with big ambitions: Their leaders wanted to create a paperless, transparent government that engages businesses and citizens like customers. Only 2 years into this big mission, they are showing other jurisdictions that digital government isn’t just a theory, it is possible now – and can be implemented by any city, on any budget.

Maricopa, AZ

Established

2003

Population

48,000

Construction permits, 2016

1248

New home permits, 2016

599

Department Staff

20

Maricopa was officially incorporated as a city on October 15, 2003. Between 2000 and 2010, the city’s population grew from 1000 residents to 43,000 – an increase of over 4000% in just a decade. Managing such rapid growth required high efficiency tactics to keep up with demand for construction. From its beginning, Maricopa chose to focus on efficiency, transparency and technology.

Development Services Manager Robert Mathias was instrumental in creating a strategy for a paperless management system. He had previously pioneered a paperless plan review system in Bend, Oregon. When he came to Maricopa, he knew they could do the same – and better.

“I came to Maricopa because I knew they wanted to move to digital development system. I wanted to experiment and try something cutting edge, and the city was willing try it,” he said, “I knew it was possible, based on my experience in Bend.”

BIG REQUIREMENTS, SMALL BUDGETMathias had an ambitious vision for what solutions the city would need – and a small budget. When they went to RFP, he asked for “the stars and the moon – everything the city would need – and I wanted it for $20,000.” He started with a wide view of the solutions on the market – Tyler Tech, EZGov, Sunguard, Cityview, Accela and more.

Solutions like Accela and Tyler “met the requirements, but they wanted $300 to $500 thousand to implement. People think you need to buy the most expensive program but that’s not always true.”

Mathias worked around his tight budget by starting small, and picking a solution that would scale easily, both in functionality and in pricing. “Others bid based on population but we needed a price that would let us start with just a few users and then widen our implementation,” he explained. SMARTGOV offered him a plan that let him start with less than 10 users and add more (currently at 48 users) as their implementation matured.

The lesson learned was that smaller budgets can still find a solution that fits their budget. As long as it can scale to more users and more permits, and grow to other departments. Innovative systems can happen incrementally, both in terms of budget and in terms of implementation. The baby-steps approach helps launch and test a solution more quickly, while minimizing risk and impact to budget.



BEFORE: SNEAKER NET & MANILA FOLDERSBefore they implemented paperless processing, Maricopa’s permitting office worked the same way many jurisdictions have worked for decades. Robert describes the labor-intensive and slow process: “People would have to come in to fill out an application and bring us 2 to 20 plans. We would build a file for them and carry it between buildings to the fire department, permitting department and inspections. Each department would make mark-ups and carry it back to us. We would send a letter to the applicant for alterations, then insert more pages – over and over again,

until it was approved.” Inspections and field visits were tethered to paper files, too. “We would take these files to the site, and inspectors would unroll plans to follow what was happening. Inspections were planned by fax or phone calls,” he explains, “All of that – all of it – is eliminated now. Applications, inspections, plans, mark-up, code enforcement, communication between everyone – they are all managed in SMARTGOV now.”

Communication between departments like fire, planning, building, engineering, and licensing is now entirely managed in SMARTGOV. Every staffer in every office can share notes and read the same history on a record.

Communication with the customer is simpler, too. Corrections notices, notes from inspectors, schedules, reminders and invoices – all updates go straight to contractors and customers, instantly and without paper.

STARTING WITH PARTICIPATION & SUPPORTMaricopa invested time getting staff and citizen buy-in before the launch of the system. Robert explains from his previous experience, he knew that “it’s not just the product, it’s the way you give it to people. If you get buy in from staff, they will support it all the way.”

The city won over staff and citizens to the idea of paperless permitting by involving them from the beginning of the process. Builders, contractors, homeowners and other jurisdictions were invited to give input during the software selection process and development of requirements. Once a plan was established, the city engaged staff and citizens with meetings and presentations, explaining the system and the philosophy. “Our goal was to create a transparent system. If you’re going to be transparent, you have to be from the beginning,” states Robert.

As a result, the idea met little resistance at launch. Businesses and contractors liked the system right away – they saw immediate time and cost savings.

Staff adapted to the change quickly, too, says Robert. “We showed them what to expect and involved them at every step,” he explains. SMARTGOV makes their jobs easier and was designed with their input, so even employees who were less tech-savvy appreciated the new system.

THE CLOUD MAKES SIMPLIFICATION & ANALYSIS EASIERTraditionally, government has favored on-site enterprise-wide data solutions but that is changing quickly. Since 2014, the Federal Government has led theshift to the cloud with their CloudFirst policy, stating that cloud solutions should be considered fi rst priority over local data centers. State and local agencies have followed suit. The savings, security, access, and fl exibility of cloud-based solutions make them especially attractive to smaller agencies as the overhead in hardware, software and IT personnel is greatly decreased. In addition, cloud based software can be accessed from anywhere providing the user has a web browser, and data security is increased. Current trends indicate that as much as 80% of critical IT functions will be cloud-based by the end of 2018.



PRACTICAL, SIMPLE IMPLEMENTATIONMaricopa designed its implementation to be staff-friendly by making SMARTGOV consistent with their processes, and consistent across teams. Robert described their system as “built on the Big Mac Theory. Just like McDonald’s - it’s the same, wherever you go. You know what to expect and how to use it because it’s consistent for every user in every department. We give users access to the same tools and they all know the processes.” Robert points out that this consistent set of tools also benefits how managers plan – if an employee is absent or leaves the organization,

anyone can step in and find the same records, perform the same actions, and understand exactly how the system works.

The system was built for regular use by staffers in the field as well as the development office. So the city invested in practical details like Panasonic Toughpads. With temperatures that regularly reach 110 degrees in Arizona, visits to construction sites can be hard on regular touchpads. The Toughpads are heat, water and impact resistant so code enforcement officers and inspectors can rely on them. Planning for real-life use cases like this has helped adoption among staff since the equipment is reliable and practical.

CUSTOMER RESPONSEThe system was well-received by staffers who had participated in its design and implementation, and the reception was even more enthusiastic by citizens. SMARTGOV made it easy to access information and updates on applications without calling or visiting city hall. The ease of paying bills, filing applications or tracking updates was a relief for citizens and businesses who could engage with planning on their own schedule, outside of business hours.

Contractors saw instant cost savings. “I have been a construction manager in Maricopa for about 4 years with LGI Homes,” said Senior Construction Manager Darren Roggeman, “I remember the old file card permits that got pulled for inspections every day. SMARTGOV has been an incredible tool and upgrade for us in the field. Not only can we get immediate inspection results, but we have the ability to go online and see or print any inspection corrections. SMARTGOV also allows us to schedule inspections from our desktop or tablets, and we can see when permits are ready to pick up. These are huge time savers that directly translate into dollars.”

Simplifying permitting and accelerating approval timelines makes a significant difference to builders and economic development. “This really reduced our plan review times, and helps make the City of Maricopa a great place to build and do business,” said Development Services Director Martin Scribner.



Customers love the self-service, 24/7 citizen portal. Businesses love the time and cost savings. The customer service improvements save the city money, too. With customers now able to do so much online, office visits are reduced, saving staff time. The goal was to reduce in-person visitors by 80 percent, we have now surpassed this at 90 percent.

NEXT STEPS: FULL CIVIC MANAGEMENTMaricopa is currently using SMARTGOV to replace all paper for permitting, engineering, planning, code enforcement and fire inspections. But the work of streamlining is never complete: The city continues to find new ways to fine-tune how it uses SMARTGOV. “Now we can take a step back and find even more efficiencies,” says Robert.

Other departments are taking note of the impressive cost savings, delivery times and customer satisfaction that the Development Department has led. The city is now evaluating expansion of SMARTGOV systems to more city services: alarm inspections, special event permits, recreation activities, community services, and even their library.

How does the SMARTGOV solution translate to these other contexts? Easily, says Robert, “A library card is the same as a permit – it starts with an application, then review, and finally issuance. We can use SMARTGOV for managing any kind of application, tracking, communication, fees and more.” For example, Maricopa could use the same streamlined processes for memberships, event permits and scheduling for Copper Sky Multigenerational Center, a city recreation and events facility.

The “Big Mac” approach means that all departments across the city can use the same set of tools and processes. Just as staffers within the development department can share and switch tasks, staffers across all departments would be familiar with each other’s processes. Records, communications, invoicing and integration with this program could also be shared across all departments, regardless of which service a citizen is using.

OUTCOMESThe results are astounding. Maricopa now boasts that all permits are issued in 6 days, on average. Permits for standard dwellings can be issued within an hour. Prior to SMARTGOV, their average time to issue was 63 days. Their department manages permits for 599 single family dwellings and 1248 construction permits with a staff of less than 20.

OUTCOMES

Faster permit times

Quicker electronic plan reviews

Enviro-friendly paper elimination

Customers submit plans, payment anytime, anywhere

Businesses save money, time

Reduction in front office traffic

City staff satisfactionpaperless system without much precedent to follow: They are the first SMARTGOV customer to go 100% paperless, and possibly the first jurisdiction on any platform to move to an entirely digital solution.

Robert acknowledges that choosing the right solution for digital permitting was critical to the success of their new paperless system. “SMARTGOV gave me the ability to achieve this more quickly than any other product, and at a lower price,” he says. He thinks that other jurisdictions should be willing to try fully digital systems. “With the right program, right drive, most jurisdictions can do better and work more efficiently,” he says.



v04.17©2017 Paladin Data Systems

Building permit wait times reduced from 63 days to

6 days

Permits for standard dwellings reduced to as little as

1 hour

Jurisdictions who are already using SMARTGOV are the best candidates for a fully paperless system, he explains, since they have the tools they need to eliminate paper processes. “Not just anyone can go paperless, but anyone using SMARTGOV could do it,” he argues. SMARTGOV has the tools to replace every aspect of paper offices – communication, file sharing, invoicing, plan mark-up, notes, tracking, scheduling, and more.

“Our goal is to be the most transparent city in the world,” said Robert Mathias, Development Manager for the City of Maricopa. “SMARTGOV is a huge step toward that goal.”

Robert acknowledges that choosing the right solution for digital permitting was critical to the success of their new paperless system. “SMARTGOV gave me the ability to achieve this more quickly than any other product, and at a lower price,” he says. He thinks that other jurisdictions should be willing to try fully digital systems. “With the right program, right drive, most jurisdictions can do better and work more efficiently,” he says.

Jurisdictions who are already using SMARTGOV are the best candidates for a fully paperless system, he explains, since they have the tools they need to eliminate paper processes. “Not just anyone can go paperless, but anyone using SMARTGOV could do it,” he argues. SMARTGOV has the tools to replace every aspect of paper offices – communication, file sharing, invoicing, plan mark-up, notes, tracking, scheduling, and more.

“Our goal is to be the most transparent city in the world,” said Robert Mathias, Development Manager for the City of Maricopa. “SMARTGOV is a huge step toward that goal.”

ABOUT SMARTGOVSMARTGOV manages permitting, licensing and code enforcement with a suite of tools that can be customized to meet your planning department’s needs. Our modular design allows you to build a custom online permitting solution with off-the-shelf blocks. The result is agile, fl exible, and cost effective.Online permitting and licensing saves time and money, while improving customer service. Defi ne and track as many permit or license types as you need including contacts, contractors, submittals, workfl ow steps, conditions, bonds, and any custom fi elds you want. See your permits and licenses plotted on a map, grouped by any criteria you care to defi ne, or turned into instant reports. You can attach any number of parcels, fees, inspections, related actions, notes, pictures, documentation, etc. and manage your process lifecycles using priorities you defi ne.

Learn more about SMARTGOV and how it can help your jurisdiction.smartgovcommunity.com or (877) 367-4572

SMARTGOV is a product of Paladin Data Systems, a provider of customer government solutions founded in 1994, based in Poulsbo, Washington.

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THE PAPERLESS CITY - SMARTGovsmartgovcommunity.com/smartgovcommunity/wp-content/... · 2017-04-26 · a strategy for a paperless management system. ... Before they implemented paperless

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