Getting that patio up for the summer, that new addition to the house, or any kind of renovation, is being made all that much simpler this year with a new service offered by the City of Barrie starting this month.
Just give Service Barrie a call or click, and the folks there will put you in touch with a new technology system to help streamline the building permit process.
Monique Kovacs, who manages the city’s Customer Service department, says the new system, called Accela, will provide a key system for the processing, tracking and delivery of applications, permits, licenses and inspections for builders and renovators.
Building permits, she says, is the first service to be offered.
“Service Barrie is a partner in the delivery of this service. Customers now can conduct more of their business all at our first-floor customer centre rather than having to find their way to the eighth floor for Building services. At the Service Barrie counter, customers can also access tax, water, purchasing, transit, parking and other general services.”
According to Kovacs, things will be made easier still with the launch of the Citizen Portal, which will enable citizens to collaborate with the city in a whole new way, and will target further improving efficiency.
“The portal will enable citizens to apply for permits, process payments online, schedule inspections and check the status of their applications from the comfort of their homes. With its tight integration to our Geographic Information System, information such as By-Law zones, Infrastructure Information and Ward information will be more readily available, reducing the time to process permit applications.”
“(It) was created in large part to help improve the processes in preparation for growth,” noted Kovacs who noted that the new online portal is arriving just in time with thousands pouring into Barrie every year as a place to live, work and build. “Inspectors and Enforcement Officers are now equipped with mobile tablets that help them work on the go with the aim of improving the process turnaround time . . . Service Barrie commenced residential permit intake at the front counters – this means less work in the building department, and one step closer to ‘one stop shopping’ for constituents.”
There would also be an online document management feature that allows related files and documentation to be attached directly to records enabling enhanced collaboration across the city.
To learn more, simply click here.
