Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Digital Transformation Permitting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Long Beach moves forward on $43.5M enterprise land‑management system; council approves initial funding and contract awards
Summary
Long Beach will replace its 2007 permitting system with a new Enterprise Land Management (ELM) platform after the council approved initial contracting and an $8.2 million FY2025 appropriation to kick off the multi‑year, $43.5 million program.
The City Council on April 22 approved staff recommendations to proceed with a multi‑year Enterprise Land Management (ELM) project to replace Long Beach’s legacy permitting, licensing and land‑use systems.
Jamila Volman of Technology and Innovation presented the LB Builds ELM plan, which staff said will integrate permitting, inspections, licensing, code enforcement and planning on a configurable commercial software platform (the Clarity solution, to be implemented via the selected system integrator). The selection committee evaluated proposals and recommended a vendor team; staff presented an implementation plan spanning roughly three years with a phased roll‑out of business capabilities.
Staff estimated the total project implementation costs at $43,537,000 (including software, implementation, third‑party consulting and city staff costs capitalized into the asset). Council was asked to approve contracts and to appropriate $8.2 million for initial FY2025 project activities; staff said the bulk of implementation costs will be capitalizable and financed with tax‑exempt bonds projected to total about $41.5 million, with estimated annual debt service of $2.53 million beginning when bonds are sold.
Volman described the project as a response to an outdated system installed in 2007 and emphasized the customer‑service benefits: an online public portal to submit and track applications, improved inspection scheduling and faster permit turnarounds. The project will include an organizational change management plan and dedicated project governance.
Officials said the planned contract structure includes an initial implementation agreement and a long‑term maintenance and support contract; the recommended solution uses commercial off‑the‑shelf components to reduce upgrade risk while preserving configurability for city workflows.
Council members praised the project as an important modernization that will streamline permitting and reduce friction for businesses and residents. The motion to proceed carried in the record; the transcript records "motion is carried" but does not provide a roll‑call tally. Staff said they would return for subsequent appropriations as the project advances and bond financing is staged.
