Permit Assistant Construction Permit Management System

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Competition to attract and retain business is fierce throughout the county, especially in Michigan where industry is fading and the economy is waning. In a significant effort to make doing business with the county quicker and seamless, Wayne County created the Permit Assistant Construction Permit Management System program. The Permit Assistant computer program is a shared information management system that tracks the county’s permit application processes and their associated permits to make sure permits are reviewed and issued on time and their customers are being serviced within 60 days. Permit Assistant helps users organize, prioritize, and monitor permit projects through all work tasks related to plan review, office administration, and inspection activities. The system allows authorized users to search for active application reviews and permits in multiple ways, including review number, permit number, location and community, client, contractor, work type, or assigned review engineer. The use of Permit Assistant brought the review rate from 42% past due to just one past due in five months. Designed and built solely by Wayne County employees, the system documents and monitors applications and permits by review engineer, tracks associated plan review activities, enhances accountability and responsiveness to clients, increases productivity, eliminates work duplication. Permit Assistant also tracks refunds or associated project bonds and deposits.