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Resource Management Agency outlines online permitting, customer-service upgrades to speed county services
Summary
RMA staff described steps to expand online permit applications, a citizen request portal, phone-queuing response goals, and other process improvements aimed at faster, more accessible services for residents and businesses.
Resource Management Agency staff on Aug. 26 presented a multi-pronged plan to modernize public access to county planning, permitting and public-works services, highlighting online permitting, a citizen request portal, on‑line payments and a goal to answer most permit-line calls promptly.
Reid Schenke (Resource Management Agency) told the board the county has focused on expanding remote service options after COVID and improving in-person customer flow at the permit center. "In today's world, you have to have an online presence or provide online service," Schenke said. He said the county now accepts many building and land-use applications online and has a permit-portal workflow that has decreased in-person paperwork and increased throughput for frequent permit types such as residential solar.
Schenke said the county receives roughly 3,000 building permits a year and noted adoption of online submittals is growing. He singled out residential-solar permitting as a rapid-turnaround example, saying some solar permits can be issued within 24 hours when applicants use the dedicated online workflow.
Other changes discussed: a citizen-request form on the county website that accepts location pins, photos and written details for potholes or code issues, live road-condition postings, online payment for fees, and a phone‑queuing system for permit-center calls with a stated target of answering 80% of calls within two minutes.
Board responses: Supervisors praised the work. "My business partner... says it's the best thing ever," Supervisor Townsend said after describing a positive experience with online permitting. Supervisor Macari added that the absence of recent permit complaints was itself a sign of progress: "I don't think I've had a permit complaint in well over a year."
Physical improvements to the Government Plaza lobby and closer proximity to the assessor’s office were cited as additional measures to make in‑office visits simpler. Schenke asked for continued board support as RMA builds out online tutorials, clarifies frequently asked questions and expands training for staff and community providers.
What residents can expect: Residents and contractors should be able to file more permit types online, pay fees with credit cards and track standard project statuses on the county website. The county said it will continue in-person services for applicants who need them and plans to publish how-to materials and video tutorials for online portals.
Speakers quoted in this article are Reid Schenke (Resource Management Agency), Supervisor Townsend and Supervisor Macari; the presentation took place during the Aug. 26 Tulare County Board meeting.
