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Florence to end SeeClickFix subscription, move to town-owned code-enforcement platform
Summary
After a live demonstration, the council voted to discontinue the paid SeeClickFix service and adopt a town-owned code-enforcement reporting and case-management system that integrates with CAD/RMS, offers a public dashboard, and aims to improve transparency and save about $35,000 annually.
Florence — The town will stop using a paid third-party reporting service and transition to a town-controlled code-enforcement and complaint-management system that integrates with police CAD and the town’s records-management system, Chief Matt Thomas told the council on Feb. 17.
Thomas outlined work begun after he took over code-enforcement oversight: dividing the town into enforcement beats, routing citizen reports through dispatch to generate CAD numbers, and onboarding code officers into a records workflow similar to police reporting. He demonstrated a live submission flow that collects a complainant’s name and email (the system allows complaint details to be anonymous), provides category selection and photo upload, and produces a downloadable submission summary.
"This is town owned. We don't have to go to any software company. We don't owe them any maintenance," Thomas said, describing the platform as a town-controlled page linked from the police and community-development web pages. He added the prior third-party contract cost the town about $35,000 and said moving in-house would save that amount annually.
The platform includes a public-facing community dashboard with mapping and analytics, a case-tracking workflow that sends violation notices with clearer instructions and thumbnails rather than lengthy photo attachments, and a planned April integration that would push status updates and automated notifications to complainants. Thomas said the system can be configured to reduce duplicate reports and clarify layman-friendly category choices.
Council members pressed for user-friendly category wording and the ability to make certain fields optional. Vice Mayor Adam sought confirmation that reporters could remain anonymous in complaint text even if they register to use the portal; Thomas said complainants must provide a name and email to access the submission but may anonymize the complaint contents.
Several council members said the system would also help prevent the 'neighbor versus neighbor' dynamic some residents saw on the public SeeClickFix page, while giving the town better data to direct resources. The council voted to discontinue SeeClickFix and authorize the in-house system to move forward; staff will run an information campaign and work with IT to finalize configuration and a phased rollout.
What to expect - The town’s police page and community-development page will carry links to the new submission portal; the platform will produce CAD/RMS case numbers and allow staff oversight of report approval before public release. - Staff will work to simplify category wording, add example prompts for common issues (e.g., "vehicle blocking driveway"), and implement duplicate-report warnings. - A planned integration in April aims to enable automated status notifications to complainants as cases progress.
Direct quote "This part here... this name and email is to get you to the document; it's town owned. We don't owe them any maintenance," — Chief Matt Thomas.
Ending Staff will prepare a public information campaign and bring implementation updates to the council as the town’s IT department finalizes the portal and the integration with case-management tools.
