The city of Blaine is implementing new technology that will soon allow the public to apply for certain types of permits online.
This comes after city council directed the community development services department in 2018 to explore the possibility of going paperless. The initiative became part of the department’s 2019 work program, and is now being overseen by Stacie Pratschner, the city’s community development director.
The new cloud-based system, which is expected to go live in late July, will allow permit applicants to avoid in-person visits to city offices, and will also speed up the time it takes for permits to be approved. The new software, offered by the Utah-based company iWorQ, will be tested by city staff before being introduced to the public.
The city uses a Microsoft Excel-based permitting system that was purchased in 2017 and allows the city to track and record all of its permits. The system has add-ons, and the city recently decided to purchase an add-on that allows the city to accept permit applications through an online interface.
Currently, members of the public who wish to apply for a permit must visit city offices in person with a paper copy of their permit application. When the new interface is introduced, members of the public will just have to request a username and password from the city. They will then be able to submit their permit application through an online portal linked to the city website from anywhere in the world.
Because their information will automatically populate the city’s Excel spreadsheets, the new system is expected to reduce the amount of time it takes for the city to process permits.
“I would say that for a mechanical permit, it currently takes us a few hours to process,” said building official Tim Woodard. “This new program will enable us to do it in a few minutes.”
Woodard said that the new system will be focused on streamlining the process for certain types of city permits, including mechanical permits, plumbing permits, re-roof permits and home occupation permits.
A mechanical permit is needed when someone replaces the furnace in their home, for example, while a plumbing permit is needed when replacing a water heater. A re-roof permit is needed when installing new roofing material, and a home occupation permit is often needed when someone is running a business in their dwelling unit.
Woodard said that contractors, who do much of this type of work, are likely to take advantage of the new online option. This is because many of them are based outside of Blaine, and typically have lots of permit applications to handle at any given time. “The biggest benefit will be for contractors who don’t live in the area and don’t want to come to city hall,” he said.
Eventually, the city plans to expand the new service to include building permits as well. The city recently purchased additional software that allows for the online review of construction plans. The software, named Bluebeam, will allow the city to integrate the review of construction documents with the permitting process.
“That will be a future goal when we get to doing building permits through the iWorQ process,” said Woodard.
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