Implementing a Municipal Permit Management System Brian DuPont, GIS Manager Town of Wellesley, MA

Simply…… Why? 1. Recognition of opportunities for improvement within the Building Dept. Customer Service Communication Record Keeping / Data Storage 2. Vision of a common platform for “place-based” information Babson Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program in December 2006 --- the group assigned to these issues ultimately selected MUNIS as the preferred vendor for permitting software (features, ease of use, and the Town’s familiarity with the MUNIS platform) 1. External customer service: Permit process was perceived as SLOW Public often not aware of other regulations / bylaws required for their project 2. Communication (especially with other departments): Information is not easily accessible --- Existing Access DB is difficult to use 3. Record Keeping: No digital record of all field inspections completed Still depend on typewriter for issuing permits and documenting abutters lists Accumulation of paper plans is leading to shortage of storage space

Selection (~8 weeks) Involved staff from multiple departments, elected officials, and Building Inspector Evaluated 6 systems using SWOT(C) analysis Strengths / Weaknesses Opportunities / Threats (Challenges) Cost, integration, ease-of-use, and……… GIS

Implementation (~8 months) Involved staff from Building Dept., NIS (GIS) , and MUNIS Specialist Locate and input source data Identify and model permit types, forms and workflows 69 total! Training

MUNIS for Permits & Code Enforcement is a “place-based” system Property Master File --- In theory, a DB that can be “sync”ed with your Assessor’s DB (of course, this works much better if you’re using the MUNIS module for Assessors…) Lot dimensions & setbacks Buildings and uses Restrictions (property “flags”….. Wetlands, special zoning districts) Sub-addresses & tenants Parent  child

(+) Achievements Bye, bye typewriter! Data is standardized Communication has improved Bye, bye typewriter Automated permit forms and denial letters --- more professional Standardized data Planning and assessing departments can research trends in construction Built-in tools for easier periodic and “on-demand” reporting on permitting activity Communication Internal Administrative staff can view inspectors schedules Building inspector can monitor progress of 4 inspectors External As other departments join in, it will be much easier to monitor progress of all reviews Customer service staff can relate details to customer

(-) Missed Opportunities Process is not faster for most customers Another spatial DB Information not easily accessible History not converted Most inefficiencies have to do with the building code and it’s strict interpretation by our Building Inspector The “Property Master File” is another spatial database with much of the same information that is in the assessor’s DB… Important fields (like owners’ information and structural details) are maintained in 2 places Getting information out of the MUNIS system requires knowledge of Crystal Reports --- This has placed a burden on our IT staff who prepare reports History of building permits was not converted --- great during implementation because there was no “down time” but also a burden as users have to access multiple systems to get the entire history of a property

Lessons Understand the vernacular!!!

Wellesley Building Dept. “Permits” Electrical Permit Plumbing/Gas Permit Prerequisites Prerequisites Prerequisites Each permit has a separate “application” form… Plan Reviews Inspections Inspections Inspections

APPLICATION (Project) MUNIS “Applications” APPLICATION (Project) Prerequisites Board Reviews Each off the shelf system models the permitting process differently… Permits Building Electrical Plumbing / Gas Inspections Plan Reviews

Lessons Understand the vernacular!!! Evaluate the trade-offs Think about how spatial features are modeled Most permitting systems are similar in base functionality but each has their idiosyncrasies… The selection committee felt that the live link to our general ledger system was important… Is it really? MUNIS was easy to implement for the Building Department because they were starting at GROUND ZERO  but the system was designed to handle ALL town permitting activity (Public Works, Planning / Zoning, Health, Wetlands…) The DPW, however, decided against implementing MUNIS for street opening and trench permits because they had built some advanced functionality into a home-grown Access DB system (Dig Safe…). MUNIS offered NO significant advantages over the system they were currently using. Spatial components

Spatial Framework Neighborhood Parcel Building Address Sub-Address A permitting system is inherently a “place-based” system… And, when applied in Building Departments, they are used to keep information on about features that are modeled in most municipal GIS databases… Understanding the differences between the permitting systems model and your own GIS model is important for: Preparing “seed” data for the standardized system Setting the stage for a linked system that will allow users to: Evaluate the context of permitted activity Map and analyze the content of the system Address Sub-Address Deck

Lessons Understand the vernacular!!! Evaluate the trade-offs Think about how spatial features are modeled Ownership information  abutters tools IN SUMMARY… Most permitting systems are similar --- the items on this list can be considered long before specific software is chosen… Preparation ahead of time is the key to a speedy implementation. Think about how a permitting system can improve your GIS workflows

For the future… GIS link -- especially for field operations Integration w/ other enterprise apps. Customer Service (GovQA) Document Management CITRIX Digital Plan Submission Standard for as- builts (record drawings)

Thank you! Brian DuPont, GIS Manager Town of Wellesley, MA bdupont@wellesleyma.gov 781-431-1019 x2289