MODEL # 98-12

Return to Technology Task Force Page

COOPERATIVE PERMITTING TEAM
CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, MO
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Jurisdiction Statistics:

• Population: 150,604
• Size (square miles): 72
• Dollar Amount of Construction Per Year: $176 million
• % Construction:

• Commercial- 4%; Residential- 19%; Rehab- 45%; Other- 32%

Regulatory Areas:

• Administration & Enforcement

PROBLEM:

Permitting Procedures - Inefficiencies

Designers and developers complained to the City Council of Springfield regarding slow response times for plan reviews, and poor communication among departments involved in the permitting process and the customers. Customers also frequently submitted incomplete plans, further slowing the plan review process.

SOLUTION:

Interdepartmental Cooperative Effort

A cooperative permitting team, composed of representatives from all involved departments, was formed to develop ways to improve the permitting process, and to meet as a group with designers and developers to solve plan-related problems.

DESCRIPTION:

The cooperative permitting team does not serve as a planning review board with decision-making authority. Instead, the team meets to discuss, organize, implement, and review changes to the existing system in order to streamline and improve the permitting process and to improve customer service. Team members come from the following departments:

• Building Development Services
• Sanitary Services Division/Public Works
• Stormwater Detention Division/Public Works
• Traffic Engineering Division/Public Works
• Fire Department
• Zoning and Subdivision
• Air Pollution Control/Health Department
• Food Control/Health Department
• Licensing
• Information Systems
• City Utilities

The team also meets with designers to review and discuss plan deficiencies, thereby speeding the permitting process. A checklist booklet is used to ensure that applicants submit construction documents and that they meet all of their regulatory requirements. The booklet contains an introduction to the permitting process, fee information, requirements checklists, contact information, and maps to local government offices around Springfield.

To facilitate communication among team members, a computer software program called Permit*Plan is used. Created by Tidemark Computer Systems, it runs on ordinary PCs in a Windows 3.1 environment and stores and retrieves data to an Oracle database running on a Windows NT server. Use of this program enables team members to review construction plans and to comment on them; previously, departmental reviewers would have to write directly on the construction documents themselves. The team also uses Lotus cc:Mail to communicate with one another. The team has a computer programmer on site that helps keep the system updated and in proper working order.

RESULTS:

The submitting party reports that a hidden benefit of the system was that team members from different departments were finally able to meet and interact on a face-to-face basis. Getting to know the personalities of the people with whom they work contributed to making the review process more efficient.

The only problem reported is that the team has not yet found a way to keep its members interested and enthusiastic about developing new ways to streamline and improve upon the process.

EVALUATION BY STREAMLINING COMMITTEES:

Advantages

• Extensive check list ensures all information is readily available to all involved parties;
• Team approach focused on getting needed involvement and information to customers;
• Good way to organize a process;
• Very predictable results.

• Lack of a single point of entry;
• Risk of having the program develop into a "group think."

The Streamlining Committees designated this program as a streamlined model without modifications.

IMPLEMENTATION:

This program was implemented through administrative action of the City of Springfield.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE IN CONSIDERING THE USE OF THIS MODEL, PLEASE CONTACT:

Pamela Buck
Director of Building Development Services
840 Boonville Ave
P.O. Box 8368
Springfield, MO 65802
Phone: (417) 864-1064
FAX: (417) 864-1057

Or NCSBCS STAFF:
Carolyn Fitch
National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards
505 Huntmar Park Drive, Suite 210
Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703) 437-0100
FAX:    (703) 481-3596
Email: cfitch@ncsbcs.org