Town seeks to implement electronic permitting
Date: 9/19/2012
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — The town conducted a public meeting on Sept. 13, to receive feedback from residents regarding the implementation of electronic permitting project.
The goal of the project is to enable applications for permits and requests for inspections to be submitted at the convenience of the applicant to the Building Department, Planning Board, Conservation Commission and DPW. All state and local laws and regulations must still be complied. In addition, the applications will still be subject to review to ensure building code and zoning regulations are adhered to.
Michele Cabral, administrator for Economic Development and director of Emergency Management Coordinator, was on hand to field questions and hear input. But, only one person, Frank Palange, chair for the Planning Board, attended the meeting.
"I'm discouraged," Palange said. "We have contractors and applicants that complain all the time [about the current permitting process] — here's a [publicized] opportunity to make it better and no one shows up."
Palange used the time to provide his ideas about the installation of an electronic permitting system to Cabral. "You [the town] don't want to discourage people from the start," he said. "We want to be consistent. Let's tell them up front what needs to be done [which additional steps or paperwork are necessary to complete the permit process]."
Cabral stated that the software is already owned by the town and has permitting capabilities. She explained that the new system would be introduced in phases. "The goal of phase one is to give residents access to an online application that can be printed from home," she said. "The main purpose of this step is to extend the office hours [for residents who work during the hours when the office is physically open], and to get people used to using the site [for this purpose]."
She stated that the entirety of the program's capabilities would be rolled out in second phase.
"I don't think it can be done in only two phases," Palange said. He proposed three phases: "The first would enable users to have access to the application online and via a kiosk," he said. "In the second, users could complete and send the application online; where, once received, it would be physically distributed to each department involved [in the processing of the permit]. By the third phase the application would be automated [as much as possible, since some permits create extenuating circumstances, which can't be solved online.]"
Cabral agreed that the goal of the project was to be "user-friendly and specific in identifying what further details are needed, if any, for an application." Cabral stated she would bring Palange's ideas to the project team, which consists of: Douglas Mattoon director of Planning and Development, as the project sponsor; Cabral as the project manager; Patrick Moore the Building Commissioner, Jimmy Zack from the Department of Public Works (DPW), Mark Noonan the Conservation officer and assistant Planner, Paul Marshall, administrator of Information & Technology; Stephanie Straitiff, coordinator of the Geographic Information System; and Lynn Hazel, the administrative secretary for the Planning Department.
"We expect the system to be fully functioning within the next nine months," Mayor Gregory Neffinger said.
Cabral hopes to finalize the first phase "within the next 90 days."
