Online Web Portal Makes it Easier to Build, Live, and Grow
June 01, 2023 by Julie Breaux
Onslow County is home to more than 186,000 residents and growing. This diverse population spans over 700 square miles on the North Carolina coast and includes more than 43,000 military residents at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Unsurprisingly, life in Onslow County is active and constantly changing.
As the county's landscape evolved and growth influenced their housing market, customer expectations called for digital functionality and a constituent web portal. Onslow County answered the call by implementing Tyler’s Enterprise Permitting & Licensing software. The one-platform solution provided paperless workflows and time-saving process efficiencies.
Realtors Accessing Web Portal to Help Homebuyers
Part of the implementation included Tyler’s Civic Access web portal which enhances engagement between the county and its constituents. One innovative connection enabled by the portal is between homebuyers and realtors. “Realtors utilize Civic Access to quickly find needed information for their clients which significantly reduced the number of staff hours committed to responding to their open records requests,” explained Whitney Buck Marshall, certified zoning official and systems coordinator for Onslow County Planning and Development explained.
With Civic Access, the county reduced the number of monthly phone calls by 95% – from an average of 100 realtor calls for a certificate of occupancy, environmental health septic permit requests, or other due diligence inquiries, to an average of around five a month. Online residential trade permits submitted through Civic Access reduced processing turnaround times from seven to 10 business days to one to two business days. The solution alleviated extra staff work in processing the county’s average 150 pending applications.
Community Members and Military Residents Track Neighborhood Projects
Onslow County met old and new challenges while the community rapidly grew. Community members, including military residents, benefited from convenient services, shortened permitting processing times, and access information 24/7.
Leaders adapted their software to fit housing market demands by creating a project tracker dashboard integrated with Civic Access. Updated with neighborhood projects, homebuyers, including military residents new to their Marine Corps base, can obtain subdivision status and other information before moving to the area. For example, the estimated number of lots and commercial project details are now accessible online.
Buck Marshall went on to describe Civic Access’ success. "We have seen an increased interest in what Civic Access can offer the public. Our project tracker sparks interest in development within Onslow County. The tracker can guide the public to Civic Access to follow and obtain current project specifics."
Paperless work and digital capabilities improved processes on the development side, while online services and data access empowered local realtors and homebuyer clients on the community side. Civic Access' project visibility and 24/7 accessibility allowed local realtors to help clients find homes with the necessary certificates or information to facilitate closing on that home.
Managing a community's rapid growth requires finesse and the right technology to support permitting and licensing while providing positive staff and constituent experiences. The right technology is virtual, integrated, and evolves with changing operational needs.