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Working with Your Staff to ImproveCustomer Relations & Prepare Staff for ePlan Review Technology
Tom Phillips, Building Official, Salem, OR &Tim Anger, Document Mgmt Supervisor, Osceola County, FL
Webinar for the FIATECH Jurisdictions Committee, Tom Phillips, Salem, OR, Chairman & Robert Wible, FIATECH
March 9, 2010
Working with Your Staff
FIATECH Jurisdictions Committee – Welcome & introduction - Tom Phillips, Salem, OR, Chair
Successful Approaches – – City of Salem, OR - Working with Staff to Improve
Customer / Stakeholder Relations
– Osceola County, FL – Working with Staff to prepare them for ePlan technology
Next Committee Webinar – Intro to the ICC Replicable Building Guideline
Accountability & Predictability
SALEM, OREGON’S EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST
Tom Phillips, City of Salem, Oregon
Inefficient permitting process hinders economic growth
• Permitting delays increase costs• Delays reduces returns on investments• Investors may seek other opportunities• Increased cost and delayed returns on
investment are built into rents paid by all tenants
• Discouragement of new construction leads to tighter real estate market
Competition between jurisdictions for new development dollars
• Improved permit processes that are efficient and predictable can be a cost effective tool in addition to or in lieu of other inducements such as preferential tax rates or regulatory relief.
Efficient permit processes can permanently increase local government revenues
• Temporary acceleration of property tax collections.
• Result in a permanent increase in government tax revenues, with a permanently changed system.
Statesman Journal
February 24, 2008Editorial: Developers vital in Salem core’s renaissance
“Dealing with the city is easier, attracting more investment.”
“This kind of local commitment speaks well for Salem,
“…It’s good to be able to attract outsider’s money by persuading them of this areas strengths”.
Statesman Journal
“However, attracting local investments still would be a hard sell if Salem’s city staff and processes remained as rigid as they used to be”. Dealing with city hall has become far easier and more pleasant in the past few years. That has encouraged local developers to set aside past grudges and commit to multi-year projects”.
“…Salem is changing. For the better”.
Government: “Here to help…”
• Professionalism: “Close enough…” • Flexibility: “One size fits all” • Risk-taking: “Worst case scenario” • Policies & Procedures: “Tablets of
Stone” • Equality: “If we do it for you…”
“Be proactive….not reactive”
Create a culture of trust Improve the organizational structure Streamline your processes Promote an appropriate regulatory
environment Create processes that fits the majority
Building Relationships
Building & Safety Staff Other Divisions and Departments Stakeholders Advisory Group Citizens and neighborhood groups
Services that Serve
Customer “approved” processes Build flexibility into your processes Predictable turn-times Customized permit services Money-back guarantee Project Coordinator Program
Transparent Budget
Accountability for each program Develop revenue & expenditure “silos” Move towards “no subsidies” Data driven decisions… Be willing to share with “whosoever”
Establishing Methods of Accountability
Performance measures Benchmarking Decision-making model Flexible policies Problem-identifier/Problem-solvers
“Making a Better Wheel…”
“Drilling down…” Refining policies and procedures. Lean Six Sigma Removing redundancies and “extra stupid”
processes.
An FIATECH Presentation
Preparations for successful integration
ePlan Review
Tim Anger Supervisor of Document ManagementBuilding Office, Osceola County Growth Management Division
407-742-0276 (w)407-742-0202 (f)
Question?
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management Division
“With Osceola County being so large and the development moving to the south, how do we effectively provide services without being a hindrance to the developer, contractor, or even the homeowner?”
Answer! And more questions
We knew that the answer was ePlan Review However it brought even more questions…
– How are other jurisdictions handling this issue?– What formats are they accepting?– What about seals and signatures?– What is the stance of the Boards?– What are the hardware requirements?– Will we still need the paper?
But no one was truly leading the way
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Determination
Complement existing permitting system Wanted a web-based system for document /
plan submissions Reduce the required number of plan
submissions from thirteen (or more!) to zero Increase reviewer accountability
– Tracking of all:• Review activities• Workflow responses• Task completion times
ePlan Review
Agent
I. T.
Growth Mgmt.
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management Division
Planning Phase
Business process and workflow documentation for Plan Review
Identified hardware requirements– Dual monitors– Upgrades to computers
Determined a core team for testing and training– Growth Management– I. T.
CHALLENGES Indentify ePlan usage
– Narrowed the scope of the initial implementation
Streamline the process for County-wide use– Planning / Zoning– Development Review– Public Works– Infrastructure Projects
Education and Empowerment– Employees– Customers
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management Division
Requirements “““We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, we just wanted to add a little tread so that it could run faster!”
add a little tread so that it could run faster!”
Complement existing permitting system
Electronic submissions Increased
communications Increase reviewer
accountability Decrease review times Eliminate paper Ease of use
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management Division
Applicant
Intake
Review
Acceptance
Issuance
Linear Review
Multiple sets of plans for reviewers Lengthy review times Waiting of others to complete tasks Paper shuffling from one to another Old style of “Doing Business”
Intake Reviewer 1 Reviewer 2 Reviewer 3 Reviewer 4
Concurrent Review
Web-enabled content Single set of plans Simultaneous review Instant collaboration Open communication Applicant participates Twenty-First Century
style of “Doing Business”
Intake
Reviewer 1
Reviewer 2
Reviewer 3Reviewer 4
Reviewer 5
Biggest Issues
Some of the issues that we had to overcome– Electronic signature– Tangibility– Monitor Envy– Fear
Employee quotes– “I am an engineer, I review on paper!”– “I like holding the paper. It just seems more
real.”– “My monitor is not big enough.”– “Where is the seal and signature?”
www.osceola.org Osceola County Growth Management Division
Expedited Work
Commercial and Residential increased productivity
Greater accountability with review staff Business not limited to “normal” hours
– Allowed plans to be submitted 24 / 7 / 365
10 Days4 Days
4 Days
< 1 Day
Commercial Projects Residential Projects
Benefits
Significant contractor savings– Reduced paper plans– Elimination of permit runner– Saving of hundreds to thousands of dollars per
project
Enhanced contractor communications Digitally submitted revision Approved plans downloaded once fees are paid
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management Division
Press Release
Embassy Suites (300 rooms, meeting center) Paperless submittal, review and issuance Return/Value on Investment (ROI/VOI)
– Eliminated printing of over 700 pages (100 lbs)– Review time = Weeks 4 days
• Simultaneous vs. linear
– Electronic Stamping = 1-2 days ½ day
www.osceola.org
Osceola County Growth Management Division
An FIATECH PresentationTim Anger Supervisor of Document Management
Building Office, Osceola County Growth Management Division
407-742-0276 (w)407-742-0202 (f)
QUESTIONS
FIATECH Jurisdictions Committee
Membership open to jurisdictions all sizes with fee based on population ($200-$800)
Monthly webinars/conference calls on topics of immediate concern to local and state building and land use/zoning departments
For registration form and more information visit: www.fiatech.org
Next Jurisdiction Committee Webinar – Mid-April, 2010 on “Introducing the new ICC Replicable Building Guideline”
