Government 2 Government

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Broward County Permitting, Licensing and Consumer Protection Division’s Government 2 Government Program addressed the challenges faced by many of its 31 municipalities, which operate their own building and code enforcement divisions. These cities, like many others in South Florida, have felt the effects of the serious downturn in housing construction, remodeling and repairs. With dramatically diminished revenue coming in from permits, inspections and code enforcement, some cities had to consider reducing services and/or staff through layoffs or reallocation. Due to the success of the Government 2 Government Program, these cities and towns now have an opportunity to outsource their building and code enforcement services to Broward County, which is able to provide the contracted municipalities with skilled and experienced staff and the latest technology at a cost that does not rely of a profit margin since the program is built on cost recovery only. Additionally, since the need for building department services may vary due to seasonable variations, economic conditions or other considerations, the program lowers cost to the cities because they only pay for the services rendered at any given time, resulting in lower ongoing costs. Not only is cost saving a motivating factor, but the program is a partnering initiative with municipalities that is beneficial to all stakeholders, including contractors, designer professionals, engineers and architects. Broward County also benefits by having a continual income source that is used to operate the county’s own building department and keep it fully staffed and functional. Government 2 Government offers municipalities customized services based on their specific needs. Also, several newly developed technological programs streamline operations and provide real-time, online information on the status of a particular project. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the Broward School Board, plus several of the municipalities, have already contracted with Broward County for full or partial building and code enforcement services.