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West Hollywood staff highlight new resident app, consolidated permitting portal and fiber expansion to speed city services
Summary
City presenters described a resident service‑request app that routes photo‑based work orders, a consolidated Tyler permitting and licensing portal that centralizes applications and reviews, and ongoing fiber builds that enable public WeHo Wi‑Fi and other smart city uses.
West Hollywood officials on Monday walked residents through how the city maintains streets, parks and public facilities — and described new digital tools intended to speed responses and increase transparency.
"If you see something wrong, take a picture of it, and it automatically creates a work order," said Helen Collins, introduced as director of public works, urging residents to choose specific categories in the city app so requests route directly to the responsible team rather than into a 'miscellaneous' queue.
The city also described a recently implemented enterprise permitting and licensing platform from Tyler Technologies that consolidates previously siloed systems for permits, entitlements and code enforcement. "The online portal allows the public to apply, pay fees, submit plans and check application status without coming to City Hall," said Ronnie Fosen, systems engineer supervisor, noting staff and public visibility while also flagging that active code‑enforcement cases are being handled with sensitivity and the department has not finalized all public‑facing details.
Information‑technology staff described the city's fiber and public Wi‑Fi work. "Where fiber goes, Wi‑Fi is sure to follow," said systems engineer Derek Santos, noting an end‑to‑end fiber backbone on Santa Monica Boulevard and planned builds on Sunset. Santos added that fiber provides very high capacity but cautioned that on‑the‑ground performance depends on demand.
Eugene Sippus, information technology manager, described the city's cybersecurity posture, including layered protections and annual staff training to reduce phishing risks.
Why it matters: the app is meant to shorten the time between problem identification and repair by routing reports directly to the correct crews; the Tyler portal reduces trips to City Hall and centralizes permitting data; and fiber investments enable public Wi‑Fi and infrastructure for sensors and cameras that support city operations.
Next steps and caveats: staff said they will continue to refine the curbside tool and the permitting portal (one remaining permit was in final testing), and that decisions about how much enforcement information to publish publicly will be made by the code‑enforcement division. For emergencies residents were reminded to call the sheriff or the city by phone rather than relying on the app.
