The system will provide a centralized database for tracking and managing the County's building and planning activities, eliminating the disparate databases the County currently maintains and allowing employees to be interconnected and operate more efficiently. Staff will use the new application to automate permitting, inspections, workflow, contractor licenses, zoning, development plan review, and other critical functions.
"The selection of Accela Automation represents an important step for the County as we replace our legacy systems with emerging technologies that provide a comprehensive solution for managing our land planning and permitting processes," stated Bart Mathews, Administrator for the Department of Information and Technology Services at Carroll County.
Additional business solutions to be implemented by Carroll County include:
Mobile government --The County will implement Accela Wireless to empower inspectors with the ability to remotely input their results from the inspection site using a mobile device. The Accela Wireless application is built on Microsoft's .NET platform and is compatible with PDAs, laptops, and Tablet PCs running on the Microsoft Pocket PC, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating systems.
GIS integration -- Accela GIS enhances Accela Automation by incorporating map data from a central GIS database and giving staff direct access to all geographic land use, zoning, and infrastructure information associated with a parcel, permit, inspection, or plan. Built on the ArcIMS platform by ESRI, Accela GIS seamlessly integrates with Accela Automation to provide automated map analysis.
Citizen access -- The County will be implementing a citizen access portal that provides real-time, direct access via the Internet to the County's permit and land management activities. Citizens and businesses will be able to apply and pay for permits, schedule inspections, check the status of a permit or inspection, or print an approved permit directly from the Internet, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
