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Port Orchard to expand SmartGov features for online permit submissions and payments
Summary
City staff said they will continue with SmartGov and enable features for direct plan uploads and integrated online payments to reduce manual reconciliation and speed permit processing; implementation could run through the end of the year and may require temporary technical help.
Nick Bond, community development director, told the Land Use Committee the department plans to expand SmartGov features to allow applicants to submit plans directly and pay fees online, replacing a multi-step process that currently requires staff to duplicate invoices between a permit system and the finance system.
Bond described a lean process review and outreach to staff and applicants that identified bottlenecks in the permit workflow. "When somebody applies for a permit online, our permit clerks... have to calculate how much is owed... That form gets emailed to the finance department who then duplicates that permit amount in their financial system," Bond said, calling the current approach inefficient. He said SmartGov can be configured to accept direct uploads and payments, reducing manual entry and paper transfers.
The work is already budgeted and will require cooperation with the finance department; staff estimated the effort will take until the end of the year. Bond said the department may recruit a temporary software specialist with experience setting up SmartGov (several regional governments have used outside contractors) or contract with SmartGov for configuration assistance. Staff also plan to produce guides and training videos to help the roughly 5% of applicants who need extra support.
The committee expressed support and asked staff to include an education plan to avoid leaving less-experienced applicants behind. Bond said staff will bring a request for council support as needed.
