City of Kenmore, WA: Providing Modern Permitting Solution

Community Development software from CentralSquare Technologies provided the City of Kenmore, Washington, a modern solution to an ongoing dilemma. The city was poised to deliver on its intent to revive and rebuild core areas following years of planning and the subsequent economic rebound. However, it recognized a need to modernize outdated government systems in order to meet the critical elements of land management, planning and overall administration.

The city’s Development Services Department easily implemented CentralSquare Community Development to improve permitting, streamline workflow processes and improve collaboration. Previously, just one user utilized its previous permit tracking system because it was unable to track statistics.

“Now with CentralSquare Community Development, everyone has access so we can see where an application is in the system,” said Bryan Hampson, Development Service Director. “We have a better understanding of where we are with our workload,” he adds.

Ryan Mumma, Building Inspector/Plans Examiner concurs, “I can see my workload and any upcoming responsibilities, as well as work in our queue, whether it’s for me or another reviewer.”
Advanced integration featured in CentralSquare Community Development has enabled the city to automate permitting, manage inspections, regulate land use and track projects. Users could rapidly access all the tools in the system– including a series of easy-to-navigate modules that are tightly linked through a GIS-centric database–via a singlescreen interface.

This provided Kenmore a customizable system for creating, issuing and tracking activity directly from the parcel fabric. An information-tree format helped users easily identify past activity and its impact on future activity. CentralSquare Community Development also offered customization and ease of use, ensuring rapid deployment. “We were able to customize CentralSquare Community Development and tailor it to our needs without IT help,” said Mumma.

The system’s unique ability to integrate with an online portal allows customers and users to easily access information about project status. This integration cuts time from scheduling inspections, answering customer questions and keeping track of overall workload.

The city had long recognized it needed adaptable workflows to meet the increased demands and needs of evolving community development. CentralSquare Community Development delivered a reliable, customizable solution that enabled the city to meet its specific business processes and policies.

“It covered every aspect of what we may encounter in our business,” said Mumma. “There were a lot of options and functionality we could use every day. I really like that it works all the time. If your internet is working, CentralSquare Community Development is there every day working.