Notes

Outline

Partnership in Building Safety: Builders and Government Builders and Building Officials have a common goal: Safety! As partners, each must work together toward that end. Each must use the most modern, up-to-date tools available.

Local Government’s Responsibility Historical Perspective of Government interaction Government Was More Regulatory in Nature Antiquated Tools: Office, Mail and Telephone Backward in Use of Technology We Needed to Adopt a Business Strategy Government Focused on Self-Improvement Do more with Less-Budget Constraints Increase Efficiency-Less Waste Liaison with Contractor Association Improve Customer Service We Needed to Streamline Our Operations Hardware Software Web Applications G.I.S.

Historical Perspective I Started in this Profession in early 1980s Inspection Request Slips handwritten Gave Inspection Results to Contractor Very Little Cooperation with Builders Re-inspection and approval Giving Inspection Results to Clerk Manual Plan and Record Archival & Retrieval

Change in Focus in Mid-1980’s We Adopted a Business Strategy We Faced Budget Constraints We Needed to Improve Efficiency Performance measure analysis We Began to View Builders and Developers as Customers Liaison With Builder Associations Customer Service Became a Value We Began to Embrace Technology Jurisdictions learned to share ideas

Streamlining Through Technology Hardware Upgrades Interactive Voice Response PDA Maintaining Up-To-Date Technology Software Upgrades Permits Plus IVR Web Applications Permit Requests Inspection Requests Permit Requirements Plan Requirements

Arlington County’s e-Government Initiative Recent Examples

Hand-held PDA

Arlington County Inspection Services Division Website