Commission approves Oracle permitting and licensing agreement to modernize development services

The Manhattan City Commission on April 1 approved purchase and implementation agreements for Oracle Permitting and Licensing (OPAL) software, a program the city says will centralize building permits, licensing, plan review and other development-related services into a single online portal.

Assistant City Manager Jared Wasinger told commissioners the procurement followed a months-long evaluation process that included seven vendors, multi-hour demonstrations and input from community-development, public-works, risk-reduction, utilities and finance staff. Wasinger said the goal is a single customer portal where applicants can apply, pay fees, track project status, schedule inspections and view an integrated project history.

Why it matters: Staff and business representatives said the system will reduce friction for developers and residents by creating a consistent online process, reducing email and voicemail bottlenecks and offering a shared workflow view for applicants and multiple city reviewers. The Chamber of Commerce told the commission its development community reviewed the product and supported the purchase.

Cost and funding: The implementation contract presented was $904,000 (including roughly $12,000 estimated travel for on-site consultant sprints). Software access will be added under the existing five-year Oracle agreement the city holds through a reseller; because that agreement already runs on a co-terminus schedule, initial year charges are prorated into the existing contract term, with ongoing annual software fees thereafter. Wasinger said staff proposed funding the implementation and the first two years of software support from a mix of sources tied to development revenue: 60% from the city’s 20% jobs sales-tax economic development fund, 15% from water utility development fees, 15% from wastewater development fees and 10% from stormwater development fees. The city plans to return later with a recommended user/technology fee structure so ongoing software costs are not borne indefinitely by those funding sources.

Functionality and rollout: Wasinger described portal features including an application wizard that guides users to required permits, GIS integration so applicants can see parcel and mapping layers, integration with Bluebeam for plan review, automated scheduling of inspections and an AI chat aid for basic questions. The implementation scope outlines 45 processes and a series of development “sprints” over the next 12 months; staff said the city will convert recent licensing and permitting records to the new platform and provide vendor-supported training and public tutorials prior to broader rollout.

Public and commissioner input: Jason Smith of the Manhattan Area Chamber said the business community supports the project as a way to reduce friction in development. Several commissioners described the effort as aligned with the city’s strategic plan to modernize technology and make Manhattan easier to do business with. Commissioners asked about integration with county GIS, training for private-sector users, projected staffing impacts and whether the system could later help track incentive effectiveness; staff said integrations and reporting are planned but some integrations will require additional work.

Vote and next steps: Commissioner (mover not specified) moved to approve the Oracle community development cloud services purchase and related implementation ordering document; the motion was seconded (second not specified) and passed on a 5-0 roll call (Commissioner Adamczak: yes; Commissioner Opelt: yes; Commissioner Mota: yes; Commissioner Mitten: yes; Mayor Karen McCullough: yes). Staff said implementation will proceed in sprints over the following 12 months and that staff will return with a proposed fee structure to cover long-term software costs.