Zoning launches ANEC platform to link agencies for real-time nuisance reporting

Theresa Gumrow, Saipan zoning administrator, told the House delegation the zoning office launched ANEC (Agencies on Nuisance and Environmental Concerns) in February to let regulatory agencies log and respond to nuisance complaints in a single online system.

Gumrow said ANEC currently connects several agencies — the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BCQ), the Saipan mayor’s office, the Department of Public Works (DPW), public health, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Historic Preservation Office (HPO) — and that zoning intends to bring additional regulatory partners into the platform.

Nut graf: ANEC is intended to reduce inspection and travel time, enable agencies to coordinate and comment on complaints regardless of primary jurisdiction, and generate exportable detailed reports for management review.

According to the presentation, platform features include: real-time automatic tracking of a complaint’s progress; the ability for agencies to comment or schedule actions; image and document uploads; and a detailed report export function for management. Gumrow said ANEC can reduce the time and cost of physically inspecting multiple sites when several agencies may need to coordinate a response.

Gumrow said ANEC is currently a regulated interagency tool rather than a public-facing platform; agencies access it with usernames and passwords. She told members she expects more agencies to join after training and that the platform will help speed joint responses to overflowing trash bins, junk vehicles, abandoned structures and other nuisances.

Ending: Zoning said it will continue adding agencies and training users, and urged delegation members to raise cases with zoning so staff can log them into ANEC for interagency follow-up.