BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
LAKE BUTLER—The Union County Building Department will be getting an upgrade in technology that will allow citizens to deal with the department from home and access information about their projects, all thanks to Florida Power and Light.
The utility often supplies local governments and organizations with grants to help them keep up with technology to serve their communities more effectively. In this case, the funds are purchasing the use of a software system called Cloudpermit, which will allow the building department to give citizens 24/7 access, accept/review/issue building permits, receive complete building permit applications, conduct on-site mobile building inspections, change and modify workflows, and create reports and accept payments online. The program will save citizens time and money by making it unnecessary to drive into the office to satisfy their needs.
Other county departments will benefit from the software as well. When the county gets its new code enforcement up and running, the software will accept and manage complaints online and view case histories. It will also facilitate communications between code compliance officers and community members. The software will benefit the planning and zoning department in issuing land use permits and make land management more efficient.
The installation, employee training, and implementation will take about six weeks for the building department, four to five weeks for code enforcement, and eight to ten weeks for the planning and zoning department. The software will allow direct communication with the Union County Property Appraisers Office and streamline getting work done more quickly and efficiently. As part of the software package, a trainer is sent for on-site employee training and workshops, and the program will be customized to meet the needs and operations of the various departments.
County Coordinator Jimmy Williams said the program would not close doors to citizens but open them. He said the building department would still be open for citizens wishing to come in, and staff would still be available to work with them as needed. He said the idea behind the improvements was to offer more convenience and options to citizens, adding to (not replacing) current services.
The check was delivered to the Union County Board of Commissioners office by Carol Saviak, a representative from FPL, and accepted by Commissioner Channing Dobbs and Williams.
