E-government Web site eases planning process

BOULDER ? The city of Boulder?s departments of Planning and Public Works launched an e-government services Web site, boulderplandevelop.net, to help customers check the status of building permits and inspections and download geographic information systems data.
New online services include:

? Construction Permit Status Report, an application that enables customers to get information about their permit application including the status of the permit and fees and inspections that are required, scheduled or completed.

? Property Report, an application that provides the same property information that customers receive when they visit the Planning Department in person, including zoning, land use, flood plain and other development-related information. This application helps customers fill out a permit application.

? eMapLink, an application that lets customers map property themselves instead of having to visit the planning department.

? Code Enforcement Report Form, which provides a centralized location for reporting potential code violations.

Each service can be accessed at boulderplandevelop.net and clicking ?SKIP-A-TRIP.?

?The key idea here would be increasing the availability of information to community as a whole and the business community,? said Planning Director Peter Pollock.

Terry Stonich, information resources manager for the Planning Department, said the Web site was a solution to a dwindling budget. ?We?ve been challenged with ways to continue to provide services with fewer resources,? he said. ?If we can direct 50 or 60 calls a day to our Web site, and they are getting a better service anyhow, we see it as a win-win.?

The applications were built in-house. That kept costs low and provided the opportunity for staff to master Web and application development, Stonich said.

Caron Schwartz Ellis

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