The platform is transforming the work of the City’s Building & Housing Department.
By Diana Simeon
Housing Inspector Chris Dieker uses an Internet-enabled tablet loaded with CitizenServe to conduct an exterior inspection in Shaker Heights.
Are you planning a construction project at your Shaker Heights home? For now, you or your contractor still need to complete paper or PDF applications for permits.
But not for long.
The City’s Building & Housing Department is several years into a roll-out of CitizenServe, a cloud-based platform that offers online property inspections, licensing, permitting, and a whole lot more. The system, which was partially funded through a grant from Cuyahoga County, is parcel (i.e. address) based and so can handle almost any activity relating to business and residential properties in Shaker Heights.
The Department has already launched licensing – business, contractor, and housing rental licensing – on the platform, which offers a public portal that’s available 24/7 from a computer or mobile device (check it out at citizenserve.com/shaker). For those without access to
this technology, there is a kiosk in City Hall. Staff assistance is also available.
Permitting will be available within the next six months. “We are actively building this out right now,” says Kyle Krewson, the City’s director of building and housing. “It’s a huge undertaking,” he says. “It’s not just as simple as putting our permit forms online.”
New Processes for a New Tool
Moving the Building & Housing Department’s activities from a paper-based system to CitizenServe has pushed Krewson and his staff to refine, and even revamp completely, the Department’s processes.
“If we just took our existing processes, which are built around a fragmented paper-based workflow, and automated that, it would have been quicker and easier,” Krewson says. “But it would create all kinds of inefficiencies. So instead, we have taken this as an opportunity to step back and look at the big picture and say, okay, now that we have this new tool, how can we change our procedures to be more streamlined and reduce the likelihood of errors?”
To help achieve this goal, staff underwent training in Lean Six Sigma, which are data-driven methodologies for optimizing processes. The methodologies were developed by Toyota and Motorola and are widely used in business and manufacturing.
“It’s about perfecting a process and eliminating waste and defects,” says Krewson.
“If we just took our existing processes, which are built around a fragmented paper-based workflow, and automated that, it would have been quicker and easier,” Krewson says. “But it would create all kinds of inefficiencies.”
Krewson is already seeing big benefits for his department and, in turn, the broader community. Take this year’s exterior inspections in the Lomond and Sussex neighborhoods. These are the routine exterior inspections the City performs every five years for owner-occupied properties. In the past, homeowners could often wait a month or more after an inspection to receive the violations notice. That’s because prior to launching this function on CitizenServe, the department used a paper-based, manual process for exterior inspections. Inspectors would take notes during the inspection, then return to the office and finalize their report. They would then submit this report to an assistant to type up the violations notice. The assistant would send the typed notice back to the inspector to sign and then mail it to the homeowner. No surprise, this system could get backed up.
Now, the entire process is handled on the CitizenServe platform. An inspector arrives for an inspection with an Internet-enabled tablet with CitizenServe pulled up in a browser. The inspector uses a custom form to enter violations directly into the platform. Once the inspection is complete, staff back at the office can log into CitizenServe, print the violations notice, and mail it to the homeowner.
“Now in most cases we’re sending these notices the day after the inspection,” says Krewson.
Licensing is another activity transformed by CitizenServe. The City receives approximately 2,500 license applications for renewal each year. In the past, it could take up to six months for staff to work through the applications, which were in PDF or paper form. Now the applications process is entirely online, including payments.
“This year, we were able to keep up with the applications as they were coming in,” says Krewson. “Our virtual inbox was empty at the end of the day.”
More to Come
Krewson anticipates similar efficiencies once permitting is rolled out.
“The contractor or property owner will be able to apply and pay for a permit, check on the status, pull up approved plans and inspection results, and even communicate with our staff through the public portal,” says Krewson.
After permitting, the department plans to add rental property inspections, foreclosure registration, and the point-of-sale process to CitizenServe. The department is already also using the platform for complaint inspections, vacant property monitoring, and various other code compliance activities. Notably, CitizenServe synchronizes with county databases ensuring staff is always working with the most up-to-date property data on file.
Meanwhile, Krewson expects that the City will keep finding new ways to use the platform, especially in areas where the work of other City departments overlaps with that of the Building & Housing Department. Examples could include code inspections by the Fire Department or property-related notices from Public Works.
“There are so many functions that the City does on a regular basis that would be right for CitizenServe,” he notes. “There is a lot of opportunity for us to keep expanding how we are using this platform.”
