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County launches CitizenServe portal and moves code enforcement to sheriff; staff to align CAD and case tracking
Summary
Franklin County previewed a new CitizenServe public portal for permits and inspections and agreed to move code‑enforcement responsibilities to the sheriff’s office, with plans to coordinate case numbers between sheriff CAD and CitizenServe and provide training for sheriff staff.
Administrative Coordinator Angela Lolley demonstrated Franklin County’s new CitizenServe public portal May 6, showing permit search, inspection requests, contractor lookup and reporting features. She told the board the portal is ADA‑compliant and can show active permits, accept inspection requests and produce downloadable reports.
Staff said code‑enforcement software implementation is about 75% complete and that the county will begin using CitizenServe for new code cases on June 1 while older files are migrated in the background. Sheriff’s staff and county administrators discussed how the sheriff’s CAD case numbers will align with CitizenServe records; dispatch will create CAD cases and staff agreed to include the CAD reference in CitizenServe records so both systems can be cross‑referenced.
The board also voted to ask staff to explore engaging the sheriff’s attorney, Ethan Way, to handle magistrate and code hearing matters and to return costs and an MOU for board approval. Commissioners emphasized training for sheriff personnel and the need to maintain a single searchable public record for permits, inspections and code actions.
Why it matters: A user‑facing portal that centralizes permit data and inspection scheduling can reduce back‑and‑forth between applicants and staff. Integrating sheriff dispatch case numbers and bringing code enforcement under sheriff oversight aims to streamline enforcement and provide a clear administrative record for magistrate hearings.
Next steps: Staff will continue CitizenServe configuration, schedule training for sheriff personnel, coordinate CAD/CitizenServe case numbering and bring proposed MOU and fee arrangements for legal services to the board.
