Dear nattering nabobs of negativity.,
Over a year ago we embarked upon a multifaceted effort to revitalize and improve the operations and customer service of the Building Department. This effort was based on making significant changes with respect to people/organizational structure, process and technology.
We successfully implemented a new technology platform last year called Spatial Data Logic, and now I am delighted to tell you that we have rolled out a new capability for our residents to use called the Citizen Permit and Inspection Portal. The Portal allows residents, from their homes or offices or anywhere, to schedule an inspection, look up property information, view the status of a permit and more. Residents will need to register and create a user profile to be able to be a part of this new technology. I would encourage you to try it out and provide us with your feedback.
If you have dealt with the Building Department in the last several months, I hope you have noted improvement. The new technology coupled with staffing reassignments has resulted in a significant streamlining of overall operations and more effective delivery of services. Based on resident and contractor input, we are now open for business earlier (8 A.M.). We have also implemented a one page permit application counter form thereby streamlining this process and making it more customer–friendly. The new Building Department Director Thomas Yotka also has held open forums with the public and will continue to do so.
This is not in any way to suggest that we do not have more improvements to make……and for this, as you know, we rely on your input.
In the future the new Citizens Portal will be expanded to other services. More to come on this!
Best,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
How much money was spent for this software?
What is the benefit to residents / tax payers?
Is this really Roberta’s message? To the “nattering nabobs?”
I love the fact that millennials like her feel compelled to seek kudos for doing their daily job. Imagine not getting a trophy after you have played a game.
The building department was an absolute shambles when merlino ran it – – fixing it was like shooting ducks in a barrel.
James, is this really how she addressed the letter? Not funny Roberta. Super funny if its your edit, James.
It’s called new manager syndrome.
Fire employees that have worked there for a long time. Hire new people and then declare ‘mission accomplished’.
Where is the data on how much money was spent, how many people were fired, and WHAT changed? What was the permit approval time before and what’s the permit approval time now?
What is the real benefit to residents and how much money was spent?
Most importantly, how much permit fee was increased? I hear the permit fee was increased by 3 folds?
Surely we can all agree that a portal to check on status instead of having to call in a 2 hour window and wait on hold while someone find drawings under a pile of lost quarters is an improvement. The Ridgewood Building Department is notorious for being unfriendly, unhelpful and unapproachable. Residents waste time and money on extended renovations, businesses pay for months of leases while trying to do build-outs and neighbors face extended construction inconvenience because of the delays.
It took me over a year to get all the permits signed off on for my project. Dont worry the Village increased my taxes for the extra bedroom but still hadnt signed off on the paperwork.
Lets give credit where it is due. This is a good accomplishment.
Should work well for the new high density housing developers and valley hospital.
Won’t be needed for the garage since they are exempt.
12:23 pm – What exactly is the accomplishment? What status are you able to check online that’s going to help? It just shows ‘under process’ or ‘approved’? The permit should not be sitting at someone’s desk for pricing for three weeks. That’s what I will call an accomplishment.
If the phone person says “it’s still waiting for pricing” or an online status says “its still waiting for pricing” they are same thing for me. Not a good enough value for the money spent.
Again, these self congratulatory notes are not helpful without any hard data to back them up.
12:23pm – Completely agree, presuming the system actually works! It appears that Spatial Data Logic is used by a bunch of NJ towns (https://www.spatialdatalogic.com/who-we-are/client-testimonials/), so at least it’s not a custom system.
1:31–I’ll take the knowing it is pending. At least it saves me from having to “stop by town hall” like it is 1955 to find out if the permit is ready or schedule my whole day around calling to check. It is hard enough to get a residential job done and to keep contractors on schedule. A portal to check permit status clearly makes this easier.
At what cost?
Unless we know how much money is being paid to see that the permit is ‘pending’ (which we already know because we haven’t received a call from the building department), I don’t understand how are some of saying ‘it makes sense’.
There is no way to communicate via this portal, there is no ticketing system, there is no way to look at the details. It’s just showing permit numbers and pass / fail / pending. The residents already know that for their own homes.
Yes it’s a good feature – but can’t justify it until we know HOW MUCH MONEY WAS PAID FOR THIS.
Thanks for the link John V. It’s interesting to see our municipality doing business with a firm where ownership information is not listed on their web site. No about page which shows who owns the company and who are the main people running it?
Anyone? Blind Supporters? Do you have any information on “how much money was paid for this ‘feature'”? How much permit fee was increased in last one year? How many employees were fired? How much permit issuance time was decreased?
15 years ago they did an audit and recommended automating the department.
Every time you called they did not have your folder handy, it was always on someone’s desk. If you complained it went back to the bottom of the pile.
If the software could speed up the employees it would be a big help.
Can you request a CO online? After passing all inspections the resident was expected to request a CO. They would never think to send the paperwork themselves. A real system order the CO after the final inspection.
who comes up with this shit.
2:20pm-
Some quick googling indicates the company is run by Jack and Brian Flood (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackflood, https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-flood-8b857a). Couldn’t find anything about their connections to local politics with 5 minutes of additional searching, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any. (I work for a family-owned business, and we do not have our bios on the website for what it’s worth…)
4:23pm – they already had software. The only new thing announced is that the public can now view permit status online. How much did this feature cost? Where is the cost benefit analysis?
How much permit fee was increased in last one year? How many employees were fired? How much permit issuance time was decreased?