Your community is booming with new construction, but your permitting process is stuck in 1995. You're drowning in Excel spreadsheets, historical records are in different filing cabinets, and every report request feels like an archaeological dig.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. For DPW leaders in growing communities, the challenge is universal: how do you scale operations to meet increasing demand? One choice is to proportionally increase staff and costs, but that’s tough to do with today’s tight budgets. Other choices are to simplify operations and use smarter technology to reduce the administrative burden on existing staff.
In Millsboro, Delaware, they did both. Millsboro is a town of more than 4,600 residents in Sussex County. They led the county in residential building permit applications and, to keep up with demand, decided to digitize their building and construction permitting process.
Millsboro’s transformation from Excel spreadsheets and paper files to a cloud-based permitting management system offers a compelling example for DPW departments to manage similar growth pressures and stop struggling with operational inefficiencies.
The Growing Pains of Success
Population growth can strain existing government systems. Millsboro consistently ranked first among 25 Sussex County municipalities for residential building permits issued. But their legacy manual processes couldn't keep pace with the volume of requests.
The department's old permitting process relied on an ad-hoc combination of paper records and Excel spreadsheets that inevitably led to an inefficient workflow:
- Data Disconnection
Information was scattered across spreadsheets and paper files made it difficult to maintain accurate, comprehensive records for individual properties.
- Manual Tracking Burden
Each permit required manual entry and tracking across multiple systems, creating opportunities for errors and delays.
- Archive Archaeology
Staff spent time searching through physical archives to locate property histories and permit documentation.
- Time-Intensive Reporting
Generating reports for council meetings required pulling data from multiple sources and cross-referencing paper files.
Each inefficiency was consuming valuable staff time that would ideally have be directed toward permit inspections, strategic planning, and other core public works functions.
The Strategic Solution: Purpose-Built Digital Solutions
Rather than attempting a patchwork approach, Millsboro implemented GovPilot's cloud-based Building and Construction Permitting solution, designed specifically for local government operations. Residents and contractors now submit permit applications directly through the town's website. Secure records management on the cloud platform means all permit data, documentation, and correspondence are accessible by authorized users from anywhere with an internet connection.
The system's Property Profile feature provides instant access to complete property histories, eliminating time-consuming archive searches. And reporting capabilities allow staff to generate complex reports and audits in minutes rather than hours, using simple date range selections and automated data compilation.
Transformative Results for DPW Operations
Millsboro DPW’s operational improvements demonstrate the potential impact of strategic digitization on public works department efficiency:
- No manual record searches required
- 97% reduction in reporting times
- Faster responses to public inquiries
Digital records are available in seconds, with the option to print them as needed.
As Mathew T. Hall, Millboro’s Director of Finance and Technology says, “our biggest time savings is in report creation. We can save ranges, filters, and change dates to generate reports quickly.”
Strategic Implications
The implications for local governments facing similar challenges include that you can scale operations before staff to improve services. For DPW leaders evaluating similar transformations, Millsboro's results provide concrete metrics for building internal business cases:
- Calculate current staff time spent on manual reporting and data management
- Assess costs associated with physical record storage and retrieval
- Consider the value of faster response times to council requests and resident inquiries
- Evaluate the potential for handling increased permit volume without additional staffing
And while Millsboro's example focuses specifically on building and construction permitting, the operational principles apply across typical DPW functions:
- Code Enforcement: Digital record-keeping and automated reporting can streamline violation tracking and resolution reporting.
- Infrastructure Maintenance: Cloud-based systems enable better tracking of maintenance schedules, work orders, and asset management.
- Public Works Projects: Digital workflows can improve project management and stakeholder communication for capital improvement projects.
- Utility Management: For departments managing municipal utilities, digital systems provide better tracking of service requests, maintenance needs, and regulatory compliance.
The Path Forward
Millsboro's experience offers valuable insights for DPW leaders in growing communities. Rather than waiting for existing systems to completely break down, Millsboro recognized the need for change while they could still manage the transition effectively. They ensured that they could implement the new system within a brief time frame, receive a complete onboarding program with ongoing training and support, and see benefits that they could share with stakeholders.
The combination of quantifiable time savings and improved service delivery often provides compelling justification for digital transformation investments. The key is recognizing that operational challenges often signal opportunities for strategic improvement.
Ready to transform your permitting process? Schedule a consultation to discuss your needs and learn if GovPilot is a good fit for your community.
