Newburgh, Ind. — Town staff told the Planning Commission on Sept. 2 that they will ask Town Council to approve a contract with Novo Solutions to centralize permitting, utility and asset records and to add GIS mapping capabilities.

Town Manager Chris Cook and Planning Director Riley Jones said the vendor was selected after a review of multiple vendors and that staff favored Novo Solutions for its user interface, flexibility and the ability for the town to retain ownership of its data. Staff said the system would allow users to search records by address and to link scanned historic documents to parcel records.

Implementation details: Staff said the vendor estimated 6–8 weeks to install and train staff on the system; full digitization of historical records was described as a longer, multi‑year project likely to take two to three years and to rely on interns or seasonal help to accelerate data entry. Staff emphasized they will retain hard copies and follow public‑records retention rules while creating the digital archive.

Why it matters: Planning staff said the centralized system would speed routine research for developers and residents, reduce staff time spent retrieving paper files, and improve mapping for zoning and asset management. Staff also said they chose a vendor that permits the town to export and retain its data should the town change systems in the future.

Process: Staff said the contract document will go to Town Council for final approval next Wednesday; once signed, the vendor told staff implementation and training would take approximately 6–8 weeks. No dollar figure for the contract was presented in the Planning Commission discussion; staff said the software procurement was included in the draft budget and would be subject to Council approval.