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Council discusses online permit portal; staff weighing Tyler—s new MyGov option and third-party vendors
Summary
Seabrook officials discussed options for an online permitting portal for the Buildings Department on Feb. 18, as staff weigh third-party systems and a recently acquired Tyler/myGov option.
Council discussed the Buildings Department—s limited online functionality and the city—s ongoing review of permit-portal options during the Feb. 18 meeting.
A councilmember said residents and contractors are hampered by permitting handled by phone and asked whether money was the primary barrier. A Building Department staff member said the city currently provides some online fee payment and limited scheduling through its portal and has historically used Tyler Technology; other supplemental software implemented in the last three years "haven't really met our expectations." Staff said they had been evaluating replacements for about nine months and were considering a few established vendors.
Staff told council that in recent weeks Tyler announced it had purchased myGov (referred to in discussion as myGov/myGovConnect), which could provide the city an option "at the same cost that we're spending right now for our current software" depending on integration and timeline. Preliminary numbers from vendors the city is evaluating showed setup costs in year one of about $25,000 to $30,000 and annual costs of roughly $14,000 to $18,000; staff said those were preliminary estimates and that vendors differ on whether they integrate directly with the city's finance software. Staff estimated the department handles roughly 2,500 permits per year, including many small service permits.
Council members and some contractors in attendance discussed trade-offs between a portal and in-person project consultations. One contractor said a portal could slow complex projects and that face-to-face meetings often resolve issues in one visit; staff acknowledged those benefits and said a good portal can centralize documentation and reduce repetitive manual steps.
Council asked staff to continue evaluating options and to present a consolidated package and budget amendment for council approval if a purchase is recommended. Staff said they would provide more information about vendor references, integration with finance systems and timeline once proposals are collected.
