Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE A
CONTRACT WITH CLOUDPERMIT TO PURCHASE AND
IMPLEMENT AN ELECTRONIC PERMIT MANAGEMENT
SOFTWARE SYSTEM
Date: May 28, 2024
Written by: Noah Housh, Director of Community Development Recommendation
It is recommended the City Council approve the proposed resolution to fund the purchase of Cloudpermit Permit Management software, including implementation and three one-year subscriptions.
Background
Since 2019, the Community Development Department has sought opportunities to improve and streamline the City permit review, decision and issuance process.
Starting in 2020, the Department began to explore opportunities to transition the traditional paper based permit application, review and issuance process, to an electronic process. Making this transition over the last several years has allowed the Department to identify the challenges to be addressed and opportunities to take advantage of to ensure successful transition to a completely electronic process.
Through fiscal year 2023/24 Department staff focused on transitioning the current software to a fully electronic system. Through this effort, it was determined this program is not capable of meeting the department and community needs of providing a fully electronic permit submittal, review and issuance system. The current software lacks many of the features and tools needed to fully implement an electronic permit management system.
Analysis/Discussion
After researching potential municipal permitting software solutions and interviewing three separate companies, the Community Development Department has decided to implement Cloudpermit permit management software. Cloudpermit is a municipal software specifically for the management of building, permitting, planning, and code enforcement activities. Key features include client and customer portals, inspection management, planning and zoning elements, and (business) license issuance. It offers management processes for building permitting, planning, and code enforcement for local government, development communities, and the general public.
Staff also anticipates using the software to manage the encroachment permits and business license processes for the City. This software is specifically intended to allow governments to expedite permit issuance compared to paper-based systems, manage planning applications, monitor code enforcement activities and violations, and conduct on-site mobile inspections.
Some anticipated benefits of the transition to this new software include on-demand Spanish language translation for permit applicants, mobile/in-the-field inspection results, integration with the City’s GIS software and information; a fixed-cost for unlimited user licenses and real time status updates for project applicants and the public.
If approved, complete software integration and implementation is anticipated to be completed by December 2024.
Financial Considerations
The fiscal year 2024/25 proposed budget includes a line item of $30,000 to cover the cost of permit management software. The Cloudpermit proposal is $50,500, but only $20,500 will be spent in fiscal year 2024/25. Future budget commitments for the next two fiscal years will include $15,000 in annual subscription costs each year. However, there will likely be some unquantified savings resulting from discontinuing use of the current software, Incode. Initial prorated costs, anticipated to be incurred in FY 23/24, are within existing budget amounts. No appropriation is requested for FY 23/24.
Environmental Issues
The proposed software purchase is a general policy making activity and there is no possibility that implementation of this decision will have significant effects on the environment. Where it can be determined with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA review. This general rule can be applied to activities which could be subject to the CEQA process, but which logic dictates should not be subject to CEQA review. Therefore, the proposed resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 14.03.021 of the CEQA Guidelines because there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment.