Finding the information you need right at your fingertips saves time and, in some cases, money. For the City of Clinton, a recent investment in software from BS&A Online does both – and individuals and businesses will benefit.
“We were going to have to upgrade the system we were using or consider purchasing a new system,” said Christy Maggi, City Administrator. She credits Wendee Seaton, City Clerk, with spearheading the efforts to make the change.
“Wendee talked to city clerks around the state to get recommendations. She then worked with several software companies to go through their tutorials to find what would best meet our needs,” Maggi said. “She put a lot of thought and effort into making a recommendation to the City Council.”
A variety of forms, applications and functions now can be found online at clintonmo.com. A “helpful links” tab gives anyone who lives in Clinton or does business in town the ability to apply and pay online for building permits and business licenses, report a code violation and apply for a job with the city, among other options.
Chuck Bailey, Community Development Director and Building Inspector, described the software as “wonderful” and said it has vastly improved the building permit process. For example, a fencing permit that once required 45 minutes to review, enter, prepare and issue now takes 15 minutes. What took two people, a typewriter and carbon paper can be completed with a few keystrokes.
“But we still accept paper applications,” he added.
Maggi echoed Bailey’s endorsement.
“The building permit and inspection process will be streamlined for the approvals from the city and the fire department,” she said. “No more waiting for signatures on hard copies. Approvals can be made digitally in the field when completing inspections.”
Out-of-town business owners especially appreciate the move away from paper. Brent Hastie, owner of OnPoint Home Design & Contracting in Archie, currently is building three homes in the Jamestown subdivision.
“I love the forward thinking,” he said. “Larger towns closer to Kansas City aren’t using a system like this. It’s good to be able to work online when construction work isn’t happening, like at night.”
BS&A Online also offers behind-the-scenes advantages that most city residents won’t see, Seaton said.
“We can more efficiently manage all our financial departments,” she said. “Administration and department heads have digital access to all invoices without asking for a paper copy, as well as immediate access to their budget and department activity. Auditing companies can access the reports and scanned attachments to reduce on-site expenses. Employees can manage their information and submit timesheets digitally to their department heads.”
Maggi said she appreciates the software’s ease of use and efficiency that help all departments. For instance, staff members who deal with code enforcement can quickly see which properties have been cited for violations and which ones have not yet been cited.
Seaton said the software allows users to create any type of report and search for any items. Budgets can be sent to department heads and then uploaded back into the system, which removes the chance of human error when retyping a large group of numbers.
“It is truly amazing what this software is capable of, and we have only begun to scratch the surface of what it can do as we learn more every day,” she added.
Maggi said that everyone jumped in feet first during the software transition in June, which is also budget preparation time.
“The staff here at City Hall worked hard during the four-week training process while still conducting all of the regular business,” she said.
