MHUG 2023 ConferenceRunning a borough or town is a complex undertaking. No matter the size of the municipality, government employees are likely to deal with building permits, zoning applications, licensing, and code enforcement every single day. Choosing the right software to support their work can transform the jobs of government employees.
But not only that – the right software solution can make governments far more accessible to citizens through comprehensive citizen services. Plus, implementing software solutions does not need to be done in one big step. Instead, municipalities and other government offices can choose from a range of flexible approaches.
Digital Transformation Matters – But So Does Flexibility
Digital technology is transforming the way we manage every aspect of our personal and professional lives. Whether we are using messaging services or cell phones to communicate, taking care of finances through online banking, or analyzing large amounts of data, it wouldn’t be possible without software.
Software has been just as transformational for municipalities and other government bodies. A few years ago, citizens needed to make an in-person appointment or simply join a long queue at a government office to take care of applications, licensing, and more. As more municipalities are embracing software solutions, both citizens and employees benefit from greater accessibility and efficiency.
Implementing software solutions may seem like a huge change for a municipality. However, with the right type of technology, backed up by comprehensive support, the transitions can be smooth and painless.
Not every municipality is ready to transform from paper to software, or analog to digital, in one step. While it is possible to go digital in one fell swoop, it is just as valid to implement a town’s digital transformation step by step.
Which Government Services Benefit from Software Solutions?
The short answer to this question is simple: every department of a municipality stands to benefit from efficient software solutions. For products like FastTrackGov, some of the most popular solutions include:
- Providing Neighborhood Resources
- Managing Municipality Operations
- Keeping Citizens Safe
- Developing the Community
1. Providing Neighborhood Resources
First and foremost, neighborhood resources are about connecting citizens to their government offices. Every single aspect of the software in this module has been designed with one goal in mind: to make it easier for people to get things done. This goes for both citizens and employees. Citizens benefit from easier and faster connections with their government, and governments can take advantage of higher employee productivity without increased workloads.
Citizen services include the tracking of citizen requests from start to finish. There is no more need to sift through reams of paper only to get a status update on a citizen’s request. All government employees need to do is log on and search for the person to see details of the request and its current stage.
Neighborhood services also include all types of licensing. FastTrackGov can take care of applications and renewals of virtually any type of license online. Taking this approach puts citizens in the driving seat. They upload documents in their own time. Once completed, municipality employees can either issue the license or, if necessary, ask for more information.
Pet services are just as simple. Licensing, health checks, and other pet safety matters are managed more easily with the help of software.
2. Managing Municipality Operations
Dealing with municipal rental property administration and hire vehicle requirements can be time-consuming for any size community.
Using software to support the people managing the process simplifies data storage and analysis. Software also makes it easier to track progress and issue reports. As a result, municipalities can maximize revenues and optimize their employees’ time.
Rather than spending hours searching for information or analyzing data, employees can deal with more complex issues that require their attention.
3. Keeping Citizens Safe
Keeping citizens safe is one of the highest, if not the highest priority of municipalities. Most city and town governments employ large workforces to ensure environmental health provisions are being adhered to and code enforcement is being taken care of.
Environmental health departments have a wide range of responsibilities for their communities. They supervise the quality of restaurants and other food establishments, oversee the safety of sports facilities like swimming pools, as well as manage the construction and emptying of sewers or septic tanks.
Environmental health officers also need to share information and collaborate with their colleagues in code enforcement and inform citizens of any relevant fees. Tracking all the data that feeds into this process and computing complex fees can take an employee several hours. Software like FastTrackGov, on the other hand, has been specifically designed to automate this type of work.
4. Developing Your Community
Take a look at pictures of your town from 50 years ago, and it becomes obvious just how much has changed in a few decades. Communities do not stand still. Citizens may leave or join the community; businesses may open or move to new premises. In short, developing a community is about facilitating change and allowing growth within set parameters.
Property management is a large part of community development. Municipality software helps keep all the information relating to a property in one place and easily accessible for different departments and citizens themselves. There is no danger of important paperwork being lost or applications needing to be repeated.
Aside from property management, construction permitting is the other mainstay of community development. As communities change, so does the need for buildings and facilities. Managing the entire permitting process is time-consuming even for experienced government employees.
Software solutions help automate part of the process while tracking progress and ensuring relevant data is stored in one place. Citizens benefit from online applications and permits that are issued faster. Municipality staff spend less of their time carrying out mundane tasks and can instead focus on the more complex parts of permitting.
Managing data related to planning and land use can be a time-consuming task for municipality staff. Software not only stores this data safely and makes it more accessible. But FastTrackGov can also integrate seamlessly with the requirements of tax assessors and streamline the entire community’s finances.
Software modules like FastTrackGov’s Contractor Connect feature allow municipalities to communicate more easily with contractors for their own projects. Contractors can monitor the progress of their applications with confidence, allowing them to plan logistics and staff requirements ahead of time. The result? Building projects are completed on budget and on time, avoiding delays and inconvenience to the community.
How to Transform Your Municipality
Most municipalities understand the benefits that digital transformation and the use of software can bring to their employees and their communities. At the same time, it is only natural to feel apprehensive about the magnitude of the transformation from analog to digital services.
This is why we take a flexible approach in our work with governments and municipalities. FastTrackGov will never be an all-or-nothing investment. We believe in tailoring our products and services to your community’s needs.
If your community is ready to go fully digital in one step, our team is ready to support that commitment and implement the full software package. But your community can also start small. Most municipalities know where their pain points are and where software support would be most beneficial.
Starting by implementing technology in that area is a great option. Once one module has been adopted by citizens and employees, the municipality’s leadership team can consider the next step. There are no time limits or other contractual obligations for your community.
Considering the speed of the digital transformation of our country, we believe that most municipalities will move toward online citizen services and software integration over the next few years. Saying that, community leaders are best placed to determine the speed at which their municipality can implement these changes.
There is no right or wrong approach between choosing the full package, taking it one step at a time, or implementing several software applications at the same time. Plus, our team is here to support you during your community’s transformation. We love software, but we understand that not everyone else shares that passion.
That is why we have made it our mission to develop software that makes life easier for communities around the country. Whether you love technology or not, our passion is to give you solutions that make life easier for your community and help it grow. Technology, backed by comprehensive and caring support, is essential in helping you achieve that goal.
For more information on FastTrackGov, or to discuss your community’s needs and requirements, contact our team at Mitchell Humphrey Software today. We’d love to hear from you and help you transform your municipality.