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In our endless journey to serve you better, the Town team is excited to announce that we'll be working to launch a new and purpose-built online platform designed to take our development review, special event permits, code enforcement case management, and business licensing (including short term rental licensing!) all online. The platform is called SmartGov.
Yes! This will be a big step for our community and a leap forward in the way in which you can apply for certain services as well as pay the associated fees and understand where your application is in the process.
In our endless journey to serve you better, the Town team is excited to announce that we'll be working to launch a new and purpose-built online platform designed to take our development review, special event permits, code enforcement case management, and business licensing (including short term rental licensing!) all online. The platform is called SmartGov.
Yes! This will be a big step for our community and a leap forward in the way in which you can apply for certain services as well as pay the associated fees and understand where your application is in the process.
As you might imagine, this is big undertaking spanning multiple departments and tens of workflows. We will not be rushing this - the implementation of this new system will take several months and we're excited to hear from you along the way about how you'd like to be able to use the system.
Check out the FAQs on the right to learn more about what this will (and won't) mean for you.
Subscribe to this project page for updates as we roll out surveys and more information about what to expect!
Why are we doing this?
Moving into the 21st century - daily life is more and more integrated with cloud-based systems, online payments, and online communication. While this can be aggravating in some circumstances, it can also be vastly more efficient, easier, and more clear than shuffling paper. We'll still be here at Town Hall to shake your hand and chat anytime - even as these application processes move online.
Part of this project will allow you to have a login to the 'citizen portal'. Here you'll be able to see any active development review applications, renew a business license, or file a code enforcement case - all with a few clicks of the mouse.
Transparency - you'll have greater visibility into what the status of these various applications is. This is something we've heard over and over, especially in development review, that applicants don't know what is happening to their application. This system will address this directly!
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SmartGov - Operation 21st Century has finished this stage
Town staff scoured the internet, demoed tens of platforms, and spoke to peer municipalities to explore various ways to move key functions and applications online.
Budget Analysis & Approval
SmartGov - Operation 21st Century has finished this stage
Once we landed on SmartGov as the right solution for BV, we put together a budget analysis across Planning, Recreation, Town Clerk, and Code Enforcement departments.
On December 14th, 2021, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2022 Town budget which included the implementation and first year licensing costs of the platform.
Kick-off and Project Scoping
SmartGov - Operation 21st Century has finished this stage
Once the contract with SmartGov was in place, bi-weekly project management meetings are setup and the process begins!
Project scoping entails defining the exact extent of what will be on SmartGov - what is our goal? How many workflows (unique processes) are we seeking to move onto the platform? Do we want online payment functionality? What other software integrations do we need?
Research & Data Gathering
SmartGov - Operation 21st Century is currently at this stage
Town staff works to compile all the PDF versions of the various codes, fees, application forms, approval certificates, and more and provide this to SmartGov.
Business Process Meetings
this is an upcoming stage for SmartGov - Operation 21st Century
In this stage, SmartGov pairs our various departments with consultants who use the information we've provide (application forms, fees, etc) to map out step-by-step workflows - i.e. who receives a new application, who reviews it, who approves it, etc.
This is where our processes start to get mapped and built in the online SmartGov environment. This is also our chance to tweak processes and workflows to make them more efficient and understandable!
Testing & Validation
this is an upcoming stage for SmartGov - Operation 21st Century
Once our workflows have been built, Town staff (and perhaps a few members of the public!) will test drive the system - looking for errors, wrong workflow steps, or other improvements. All of this will feedback into SmartGov prior to launch.
Public launch & support!
this is an upcoming stage for SmartGov - Operation 21st Century
This is the exciting part! We'll publicize the launch of SmartGov and be standing by to help you through using it for the first time. We're also planning on setting up a computer station in Town Hall so you can still walk in and get staff assistance while not duplicating efforts.
