SAN RAMON, CA--(Marketwired - May 22, 2013) - Accela, Inc. , the leading provider of civic engagement solutions for government agencies, announced today that the City of Toledo, Ohio will replace its 'PERMITS' Plus client-server system with Accela Automation® to streamline civic processes for the Department of Inspection while providing increased citizen access into core city functions. With a population of approximately 287,000, Toledo is a growing city known for its industry and by leveraging Accela Automation for Land Management, the City will be able to streamline the planning and development process. Accela will enable tracking and management of entitlements, historical and environmental issues, and will automate departmental reviews from planning through certificate of occupancy. Additionally, the solution will simplify the entire permitting process including application check-in, plan reviews, fee calculation and collection, inspections and task lists.
"We have a huge opportunity to improve our communication with the citizens of Toledo," said Michael P. Bell, Mayor of the City of Toledo, Ohio. "Through the use of Accela Automation we look forward to providing increased customer service and citizen access to governmental processes while giving our staff the mobile tools to be more productive in their daily assignments."
Specifically, Accela will provide:
- Accela Citizen Access ™ delivering a cost-effective way to move traditional counter and call center services to the Web, providing citizens with easy and convenient online access to an agency's permitting, licensing, and asset information and activities. By streamlining processes and providing more self-service options, tasks that had previously taken days to complete can now take just hours, or even minutes, leaving staff more time to focus on other job functions and leaving contractors, business owners, homeowners, and other members of the community more time to attend to the demands of their busy schedules.
- Accela Mobile Apps allowing access to inspection information and project documents from Apple iOS devices, such as the iPhone and iPad, Android devices, and Windows 8 mobile devices and tablet PCs. Accela Mobile Apps, such as Accela Inspector and Accela Code Officer , provide greater convenience and faster turnaround time for field inspectors and end users. Accela's Mobile Apps also include Accela GIS™, which integrates ESRI ArcGIS for Server maps with Accela Automation, allowing agency field inspectors the ability to work from a map and increase efficiency in the field with route optimization. Contractors and inspectors will be able to access services and complete processes online, including payments for permits and real-time status updates on pending permits, licenses, and service requests.
"We understand that transparency and mobility are crucial to more effective and efficient engagement with citizens and business professionals alike," said Maury Blackman, Accela President and CEO. "By upgrading to Accela Automation for land management and licensing and case management, the City of Toledo will be able to provide its citizens with access to key city functions and enhanced customer service while offering contractors, building inspectors and code enforcement officers access to mobile solutions that speed processes and response time."
About Accela Accela, Inc. provides the leading civic engagement platform, powering thousands of services and millions of transactions daily for large and small public agencies worldwide. We connect government to people and accelerate and streamline land management, licensing, asset management and public health and safety processes. Accela's Civic Cloud includes a complete platform, both packaged and tailored solutions and cloud-based, office, mobile and social applications to support government agency, business and citizen needs. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., with international offices in Australia and the United Arab Emirates. For more information, visit www.accela.com .
Media Contact: Erica Harvill Accela, Inc. (925) 659-3270 eharvill@accela.com
