Case Study
If you ever get the chance to explore the northside of the Arkansas River, you just might come across a few things that make the area special to the people who live there: two recreational lakes, an incredibly extensive bike trail system, and access to the longest pedestrian bridge in the United States, Big Dam Bridge. We’re talking, of course, about the City of Maumelle, Arkansas, a community of just under 20,000 residents composed of Little Rock commuters who prefer a suburban vibe.
It takes a lot of work to keep this 40-year-old City up and running, so when staff realized their manual processes created project delays and vendor miscommunications, Scott Grummer knew something had to give. As the City’s acting Director of Permitting & Licensing, he led the charge to adopt a digital, cloud-based platform in hopes of streamlining and centralizing inspection and planning operations.
“The flexibility of OpenGov has allowed us to pivot when needed and handle a significant increase in permit volume efficiently. It’s a very user-friendly platform, and that has streamlined our processes significantly.”
Scott Grummer, Director of Planning and Permits
Population
19,358 (2022)
Agency Type
City
Annual Budget
USD 13,518,162.00
Region
South
Solution
Permitting & Licensing
Customer Results
Residential building permit approval time reduced from 2 weeks to 3 days
General permits (electrical, mechanical, decks, roofing) now approved within an hour
Improved efficiency in handling large-scale projects, including a 1,000,000 sq. ft. distribution center
Reduced number of resident and vendor walk-ins from 20 visitors a day to 2 per day
The Challenge
Before partnering with OpenGov, Maumelle staff were at the mercy of paper-based processes that bottlenecked projects, irked residents and suppliers, and piled on even more manual tasks to a list that seemed to be growing by the day.
Not to mention, their existing software turned out to be no match for the City’s complex needs and lacked the tools to keep up with excavations, fiber optic installations, and weather-related permit processing, along with their related labor costs.
The Solution
With the vocal support of the mayor, Grummer and staff secured the green light to find a meaningful, more modern solution.
With the help of OpenGov Permitting & Licensing, the City successfully streamlined the mechanics of its current process to a fully-digital platform. And while the first few unprecedented steps to implementation were off to a shaky start, the support from OpenGov Permitting & Licensing was instrumental in overcoming any technical hurdles to ensure a smooth transition.
The Results
Soon after making the transition, City staff felt the benefits of working with a time-saving, user-friendly platform. Builders, suppliers, and residents took notice, too. General permit approval times went from a few days to just under an hour.
Even after major weather events like homegrown Southern hailstorms, Maumelle easily managed a significant increase in roofing permits and inspections, going from 200 roof permits a year to 2,220 and a revenue increase of $50,000. Centralizing its processes also saved staff a ton of time checking and rechecking ongoing permits, making it easier for staff to stay aligned through effective communication.
Significant Time Savings
The City can now approve residential building permits in about three days, compared to the previous two-week timeline. For other permits like electrical, mechanical, decks, and roofing, the approval process was drastically reduced from 2 days to about an hour, sometimes in a matter of minutes.
“We just receive and verify the information is correct and then we process it,” Grummer said. “It’s relieved us of a lot of labor person-to-person and it’s provided more convenience for all the contractors that come in to get permits.”
Increased Permit Processing Volume
On average, Maumelle staff process approximately 540 permits every month. Even after a major hailstorm affected the City, Grummer’s team carried on, completely unfazed by the situation’s urgency or the sheer volume of permits.
“The flexibility of OpenGov has allowed us to pivot when needed and handle a significant increase in permit volume efficiently,” said Grummer. “It’s a very user-friendly platform, and that has streamlined our processes significantly.”
The flexibility of the OpenGov system also allowed Maumelle to transition from onsite roof inspections to digital inspections, eliminating the need to hire new staff to manage the increase in volume. Having this user-friendly platform in their back pocket allowed staff to manage over 1,300 roof permits in the first six months, up from 100 in the previous year—that’s an increase of 1200%.
Enhanced Efficiency for Large-Scale Projects
From online inspection orders to a reduced number of daily walk-ins, the City was able to increase efficiency all around. The daily walk-ins were reduced from 20 to just one or two visitors a week, freeing up time to focus on more strategic tasks.
And recently, the City successfully managed the permitting process for Tractor Supply’s 1,000,000 sq. ft. distribution center. The engineering firm was so satisfied with the outcome of their partnership with Maumelle, that they sent a personal note of praise, a rarity according to Grummer.
Grummer also relied on OpenGov to manage its Telecom Fiber installation projects, a challenging initiative for any municipality, to continue upholding the mayor’s forward-thinking vision of transformation through modernization.
However a cost of a different kind loomed around these installations, including an increase in utility damages due to more excavations and underground boring. Plus, the surge in public complaints overwhelmed staff because of disorganized workflows.
After re-vamping its process using OpenGov for its workflow and CRM capabilities, integrated with ESRI ArcGIS, the City developed a permit tracking process that’s since been described as one of the top two in Arkansas by 811 OneCall.
Maumelle’s tracking process went from relying on two-page paper applications and a binder to a simple online application where the public can easily check project statuses and timelines, cutting the City’s call volume by 75% and making it easier for staff to resolve issues in minutes.
What’s Next
Maumelle plans to expand its use of OpenGov to other departments, including Public Works, to modernize its trash cart management and other resident services. The City aims to continue enhancing efficiency and service quality by leveraging OpenGov’s robust capabilities across various agencies.
Want to see how your organization can experience similar results?
See How Your Organization Can Get Similar Results:
Related Case Studies
Ready to get started?
Or call (650) 336-7167