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Special Events launches "1 Stop Gov" permitting pilot, aims to speed approvals and add online payments
Summary
The Board of Public Service's Special Events division described a new online permitting workflow, "1 Stop Gov," that consolidates multiple applications and now accepts credit cards; staff said reporting features are planned for fall to show event counts by type and ward.
The St. Louis Board of Public Service described steps toward modernizing event permitting during a May 14 budget hearing, saying a pilot digital platform has simplified applications and introduced online payment.
Travis Hauser, Special Events Program Executive, described the platform pilot: "1 Stop Gov is intended to expand to a lot of city services and it was piloted with the office of special events." He said the system, built on a Salesforce platform, consolidates multiple forms into a single workflow so applicants enter contact and event data once rather than filling separate PDFs for each department.
Hauser said the system also enables credit-card payments for street, park and special-event fees for the first time. "Previously we did not accept credit card payments ... Now they can pay for their street permit, their park permit and their special event application fee via credit card, and they can do that really at any time," he said. The office integrated the online workflow with Cityworks, the city’s legacy asset-management system, and staff are working on automations to streamline department-side processing and reporting.
Aldermen asked about reporting and future expansion. Hauser said applicants select broad event categories (run/walk/ride, festival in a street or park, etc.), and staff plan to run seasonal reports in the fall: "I'm hoping it gives us better insight ... We can run a report on that. So yes. I'm hoping it gives us better insight."
Why it matters: the change reduces redundant paperwork for organizers, may speed permitting, and creates data that the city can use to quantify event activity by type and by ward. Hauser emphasized the pilot scope: budgeting for 1 Stop Gov was not charged to the Special Events operating budget because the solution was intended as a citywide platform and led by the IT/administration team.
Ending: Aldermen praised the modernization and said they would follow up in the fall on the planned event and ward-level reporting.
