How the Right Municipal Software Boosts Efficiency

Municipalities know that how they deliver services to citizens and businesses is just as important as what they offer.

In towns and cities big and small, upgrading to modern municipal software has transformed the permitting process, improved local enforcement, streamlined planning decisions, and changed the steps to get things done.

Whether it’s mobile inspections that can be completed even without cell service or online portals that streamline stakeholder processes, there are many ways the best local government software can boost staff efficiency and citizen satisfaction.

Improving the process with modern digital tools can:

• Reduce administrative workload
• Foster better coordination
• Speed up processing times
• Avoid bottlenecks that cause delays and lost revenue

Why Efficiency Matters in Local Government

Local government professionals know that efficiency is at the heart of everything they do — and any slowdown, whether it’s onerous administrative work or time-consuming processes with paper or outdated software, is going to affect their job.

In many cases, inefficiency impacts crucial outcomes. Permitting delays inevitably lead to project delays, and scattered or mismanaged licensing can result in lost revenue and lower compliance. Staff burnout and citizen frustration are all too possible, too.

Separate platforms for building, planning, enforcement, and public works can unnecessarily complicate workflows and cause confusion.

There are many common bottlenecks that hurt your efficiency, including:

• Paper-based forms and manual filing
• Incomplete or inaccurate applications
• Scattered systems across departments
• Delayed inspections
• Poor communication with applicants
• Difficult access to property and permit data

Fortunately, the best municipal software today can resolve those issues and keep things moving in the right direction.

Real Results: How the Right Software Has Helped Municipalities

Many towns and cities have turned to the latest digital tools to boost their efficiency and streamline processes at every step — and the results speak for themselves.

From faster turnarounds to less time spent on administrative tasks, the benefits of better workflows and easier service delivery can transform even the smallest of municipalities.

Online Permit Applications and Renewals

If citizens and contractors continue to apply for permits or licences on paper forms, progress will slow — and that holds everyone back from doing their jobs.

Adopting a modern municipal software platform can enable online permit applications and renewals, reducing counter visits, phone calls, and the endless email back-and-forth that slows the process and creates confusion.

Cloudpermit’s software simplifies the application process by moving it online. In addition, the platform requires complete applications, and applicants can’t submit until they’ve entered every required detail and attached all necessary documents.

That’s greatly helped officials in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District of British Columbia keep up with a flurry of activity as locals began rebuilding after a devastating 2023 wildfire season.

Before this software, the majority of our permit applications used to be incomplete,” said Jay McEwen, SLRD’s Chief Building Official. “Now, we no longer chase assets since all submitted applications are complete. This has cut our processing time by months and streamlined our permitting process for everyone involved.”

In the City of Brantford, Ontario, moving online has made a clear difference after previously handling everything on paper.

Our counter traffic probably dropped 99%,” said Rob Porteous, Manager of Building Services and Chief Building Official. “We’ve gone from dozens of customers a day to one a day or one every other day, and those customers are probably people who are just applying for a building permit for the first time and don’t know that Cloudpermit is what you do.”

After the Township of Laurentian Valley, Ontario, switched to Cloudpermit, more than half of permit applications are now filed online — saving valuable time on data entry.

Other benefits of switching from paper to online processes, such as streamlined reporting and tracking, have significantly impacted Laurentian Valley’s Chief Building Official.

Each thing might only be saving 10 minutes a week or something like that, but when you add them all up, it’s definitely helped,” Brett Miller said. “Ten minutes is another job I don’t have to stress about.”

Mobile Inspection Tools

Inspectors work in the field but often spend time driving back and forth to the office to re-enter the photos and notes needed to complete their work.

A comprehensive mobile inspection app that works with or without cell or internet service fixes that problem entirely.

In the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario, truly mobile inspections and access to centralized information while in the field have made this work more efficient than ever.

Whenever there’s a deficiency, we take a photo of it and add it to the digital file. Words can only convey so much, but photos tell the whole story,” said Trevor Spitse, Building Inspector/Plans Examiner. “It’s a key advantage to have all drawings, permits, and data in one place. We can easily find any detail online without any searching.”

This digital upgrade to inspections, implemented after switching to Cloudpermit, has also made inspections more transparent and accurate in Amherstburg.

The system won’t allow inspections to pass until we resolve all deficiencies,” Spitse said. “When you use a paper system, you might miss notes or overlook issues. Cloudpermit keeps all details easily accessible and prevents you from moving forward until you’ve addressed all issues. This avoids potential legal issues.”

Configurable Solutions to Meet Local Needs

Every municipality is different, with unique needs and future goals — and that’s why municipal software must work for local users.

Cloudpermit’s online community development and public works software is configurable, allowing towns and cities to use the platform exactly as they need to get things done.

In the Municipality of North Perth, Ontario, staff invested time in learning and using their new software while working with the Cloudpermit team to configure the platform to meet their needs.

That one-time investment paid off significantly by automating repetitive tasks and freeing staff to focus on more thorough work.

Fully committing to setting the software up how you want to work is key to making the most of your investment in the product,” said Sally McMullen, Building and Development Supervisor and Chief Building Official.

Automation and Streamlined Workflows

Modern software’s built-in communication and messaging can reduce phone tag and email threads while creating a digital trail of interactions, making the process less confusing for everyone.

Automatic status updates to applicants and streamlined circulation for planners help save time that would otherwise be lost to administrative tasks — and can transform the work of staff in guiding development in their communities.

The right software should streamline workflows and reduce administrative tasks, enabling local professionals to focus on what’s important.

The Town of Cobourg, Ontario, was using other software that didn’t offer the same real-time functionality and streamlined workflows — and that meant everyone had to perform the same tasks multiple times to get things done.

That all changed when the municipality switched to Cloudpermit.

We had to return to the office to reinput the same work we did in the field,” said Dave Hancock, Chief Building Official. “Often, we then had to email applicants with the same information. Now, we can enter our notes directly into Cloudpermit from the field and automatically send notifications to applicants.”

Switching to Cloudpermit helped the Township of Southwold, Ontario, keep up with a building boom — and, thanks to the boost in efficiency, the municipality could do without hiring.

The time we saved by going online probably prevented us from needing to hire extra staff during our building boom,” said Corey Pemberton, Director of Building and Community Services. “Without Cloudpermit, we would have struggled to find additional staff given the decreasing labour market at the time. I’m uncertain how we could effectively manage the job without software like this.”

Find Out How Cloudpermit Helps Municipalities Work Smarter

With the right municipal software, communities can reduce administrative tasks and focus on what really matters.