Previously, many individual Salt Lake City departments required plan reviews before issuing building permits, including Building Services, Business Licensing, Planning and Zoning, Fire, Engineering, Public Utilities, and Transportation. Because these agencies are housed in different locations, customers were required to visit several different locations to obtain permits. In addition, the city utilized nine different databases and application procedures to issue permits.
With the implementation of the One-Stop Shop, most permit applications are accepted at one office or online, eliminating, to a much higher degree, the need to drive between offices, thus reducing fuel consumption and emissions. A suite of Accela software solutions help to streamline procedures through the use of one centralized database of land use information that can be shared across an unlimited number of departments and with the public, saving time and eliminating the need for 'paper-based' processes.
"The One-Stop Shop ensures a collaborative approach among the City, community stakeholders, and the development community," said Orion Goff, Director of Building Services and Business Licensing. "With the Accela Automation system, we can provide a greener way to do business with the City that serves the needs and interests of all Salt Lake City residents and streamlines the process of orderly development of the built environment."
The City's Building Services and Licensing division issues more than 8,500 permits, renews more than 12,000 licenses, and processes more than 2,500 new licenses annually.
Salt Lake City is also utilizing additional Accela applications to enhance the functionality of Accela Automation to manage licensing activities, share GIS information from a centralized database, enable field staff to work more efficiently in conducting inspections, and provide interactive voice response functionality:
Accela Licensing & Case Management™ automates and fully integrates a wide range of licensing and case management processes, including building trade and occupational licensing. It supports document management, automated license renewal, and flexibility in creating unlimited types of licenses based on an agency's unique regulations, requirements, and internal procedures.
Accela GIS™ seamlessly integrates with Accela Automation to provide powerful real-time visual analysis to enhance land use, zoning, and infrastructure data. It allows creation of multiple map layers, automated map analysis, parcel and asset inventory management, direct editing of GIS data or files, and auto-distribution of information to mailing lists. It is built on the ArcIMS™ platform by ESRI®.
Accela Wireless™ is a mobile government software application that allows government staff to perform their jobs from the field for inspections, code enforcement, work orders, and service requests. Optimized for Intel Centrino® Mobile Technology, Accela Wireless is compatible with PDAs, laptops, and Tablet PCs running on the Microsoft Pocket PC 2003, Windows Mobile 5, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating systems.
Accela IVR™ provides 24-hour, voice-recognition access to permit and inspection services, enabling staff and citizens to request, check, and verify permit applications and inspections from a touch-tone phone, at any time.
Within the next few months, Salt Lake City will fully enable an additional application, Accela Citizen Access™, that will allow citizens and businesses to access an unprecedented volume of property-based information, apply and pay for permits, schedule inspections, and check the status of a permit or inspection directly from the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Eventually this portal will also allow plans to be submitted electronically for review, eliminating the paper-based process.
"Accela is proud to support Salt Lake City in its commitment to deliver high standards of customer service through the best technology available," said Maury Blackman, Accela president and CEO. "Our experience has shown a direct correlation between efficient, citizen-centric delivery of services and economic growth and development."
About Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is the capital and most populous city in Utah, covering 110 sq. miles in the north-central region of the state and home to approximately 184,000 residents. It was founded in 1847 by Mormon pioneers, and is now headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For more information, please visit www.slcgov.com.
About Accela
Accela provides innovative, Web-based enterprise software solutions that automate land, permit, and asset management processes for local, state, and federal government agencies of all sizes. Backed by nearly 30 years of development and implementation in more than 500 agencies in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, Accela products and services empower agencies to increase efficiencies, reduce workload, and provide citizens and businesses with more convenient access to government services. Accela is located in San Ramon, Calif. Accela products can be purchased directly from the GSA Schedule Contract #GS-35F-0249R. For more information, please visit www.accela.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Deborah Papp Accela, Inc. 925-659-3244 Email Contact Ron Jenkins RBJ Consulting 972-473-3546 Email Contact