City staff told the Sioux City Council they are recommending purchase of Central Square community‑development software to modernize permitting, inspections and customer interactions.

Marty Daugherty said the city has been working since last spring to improve building‑permit customer service and technology; staff have implemented electronic plan submissions and are proposing software that will allow contractors and residents to submit permit applications, upload documents, make payments and schedule inspections online. On the staff side, the system would allow better interdepartmental tracking of permits and inspection histories.

Daugherty and others said implementation involves not just software licensing but also configuration, training and process improvements; they estimated the purchase, training and rollout would take two to six months. Councilmembers thanked staff and IT and finance teams for their work and expressed support for improved online services, while acknowledging change management challenges.

No formal vote text for purchase was recorded in the public discussion excerpt; the item appears on the consent/contract agenda for approval as presented.