Planning staff to move permitting online, schedule training and add board member

Town planner Stephanie told the board the town is moving toward online permitting (OpenGov), starting with two pending online applications and additional submissions expected in January.

Stephanie said staff will send instructions and that board members will need town email accounts to see the full application materials and staff comments. She proposed scheduling an evening work session to walk the board through the staff view, or arranging one‑on‑one help with the IT director; she also suggested a Zoom option for members who are out of town. "I did send out an email In order to really see the staff side of the of the online permitting, you'll all need to kind of activate your town emails," Stephanie said.

She added that a new member, Jade Seymour, is likely to be sworn in in January and that a number of current members are up for reappointment. The planner emphasized staff can still provide paper copies on request for more complex projects while the board adapts to the online workflow.

Why it matters: Transitioning to online permitting changes how board members access application files, staff comments and TRC materials and may speed access to supporting documents. The staff commitment to training and to continuing paper copies for complex files aims to reduce friction during the change.

Next steps: Staff will circulate dates for an evening training session, work with the IT director on town email activation and continue accepting paper copies for items that are difficult to review digitally.