Benefits of Online Services & Mobility
At a Glance:
Service Area:
- 32,010 citizens
- 16 years as a Tyler client
- Located 20 miles southeast of downtown Houston
Challenges:
- Inefficiency in the field
- Inability to offer online services to customers and business partners
Solution:
- Tyler Technologies’ EnerGov™ Solutions
- Permitting & Land Management
- Licensing & Regulatory
- Public Maintenance Management
- iG Inspect™ mobile app
Results:
- Improved citizen access through Web portals
- Increased mobility and enhanced workflow with EnerGov mobile apps
- Integrated city departments for a more collaborative workforce
- Informed decision-making capabilities with GIS-centric technology
With solutions well-established and in place for court operations, utility, financials, and personnel management, the city of Deer Park, Texas, is familiar with leveraging their software to enhance business operations and better serve citizens. Naturally, when city officials discovered a need for more advanced permitting, licensing, and maintenance software, they chose a company they knew they could trust – Tyler Technologies.
“We needed to replace our current system with something more comprehensive,” said Linda McHone, director of information technology at Deer Park. “We really needed something that allowed us to offer online services and an online portal for our citizens and business partners, and also integrate GIS services from our construction department.”
A Tyler client for 16 years, the city turned its focus to EnerGov™ after seeing the product at Tyler’s annual user conference, Tyler Connect. Today, the city is addressing their initial needs and more with EnerGov.
Online Services Boost Citizen Engagement and Responsiveness
Located just 20 miles southeast of downtown, Deer Park is a fast-growing suburb of Houston, due in part to a booming petrochemical industry as well as business development along the Houston Ship Channel. With that growth comes an abundance of work for the city’s Public Works Department. From residential and commercial building permit applications to inspections, the department found itself conducting a majority of its business in person at Deer Park City Hall. Suffering from long lines and lengthy response times, the city knew there had to be a better way.
Deer Park has transformed the way they handle these requests by utilizing EnerGov to fulfill daily job duties and communicate with citizens and contractors online. With the launch of the city’s Citizen Access Portal in October 2014, residents and contractors are now able to apply for, pay for, and print permits, as well as schedule inspections and print inspection results 24/7/365. This means no more trips down to City Hall, less paperwork for city employees, and increased efficiency.
“With online services it’s like having City Hall open 24/7,” McHone said. “It allows homeowners and business partners to do their business with us when it’s convenient for them.”
Mobility Increases Productivity from Desk to Field
Deer Park has also found other ways to drive efficiency in their Public Works Department through the use of EnerGov’s mobile apps designed to work anytime, anywhere an Internet connection is available.
“The mobility factor of iG™ Inspect and Public Maintenance Management enables our employees to go out in the field and complete their work and receive their work orders without delay,” McHone said. “They don’t have to come by the office to pick up their work orders every day or every two or three days. It’s immediate. Everything is available right on their iPad®, and they’re able to complete their work much quicker.”
Equipped with the power of GIS technology, Deer Park city inspectors can be routed to their inspection sites, view location-based data, take photos and notes, and submit the information in real-time – all without ever leaving the field. McHone explained this immediate communication gives the city office access to the most up-to-date information to run customized reports and greatly improve service delivery.
Comprehensive Approach Drives Accountability
A single vendor provides Deer Park continuity in software support operations and seamless integration among primary business applications. We envision bringing all of our city services together with a more collaborative workforce to serve our community.
Linda McHone
Director of Information Technology
McHone, who has worked for the city of Deer Park for more than 35 years, said EnerGov has also given the city an overall picture of what work is being done and areas in which they can improve.
“With the ability to integrate our GIS services, we can look at a parcel or a property and see everything that goes on with that property from code enforcement to building permits to public maintenance work orders,” she said. “EnerGov gives us a history of our assets and how we’ve been maintaining those assets – what our routine maintenance is, what our emergency maintenance is. This information will help us with budget forecasting and making improvements in the long run.”
In the future, McHone said the city of Deer Park hopes to continue utilizing the tools they’ve gained with Tyler software to efficiently work together and meet the needs of more than 30,000 residents that call the city home.
“A single vendor provides Deer Park continuity in software support operations and seamless integration among primary business applications. We envision bringing all of our city services together with a more collaborative workforce to serve our community.”