By Debra Messick

CAMBRIDGE - The May 28 Dorchester County meeting agenda included a small request from Planning and Zoning Director Susan Webb to reallocate $50,000 from the Fiscal Year 2023 Capital Budget towards software licensing fees.

But the modern Cloud Software designed specifically for government use, OpenGov, promises a big return in efficiency for the money, according to Webb, helping staff as well as streamlining service for contractors and others.

After hearing the benefits of the software, Council approved the funding reallocation.

“Talbot County currently uses this for all its building permits, and contractors in Dorchester and Talbot are already familiar with it. Cambridge is starting to use the same program. That continuity is especially important for the contractors and others,” Webb said.

“The government agencies that OpenGov currently services have reported up to an 85 percent reduced workload for the processing staff, allowing them to work on other items,” Webb said.

As a bonus, she disclosed being able to “finagle” a fifty percent discount on the first year’s subscription fee, and also reported that the approved small increases in permit fees for FY 2025 will cover the annual subscription fee.

The OpenGov software will also help streamline the registration process for the county’s vacant buildings, Air BNBs, and rentals, “without staff having to go in manually and enter everything, like they are now,” Webb said.

Once the County can start processing the vacant building registry through OpenGov, it will also allow for tracking of where they are, Webb said.

It can be used to process liquor licenses, she said, and in the future can be extended to the Public Works, Rec and Parks, the Airport, even for dog registration.

“The user can go on anytime, 24 hours a day, to check the status of their permit. Right now, the processing staff keeps an Excel spreadsheet of every permit they get, checking off approvals, and it takes them all day on Friday to call all the customers, giving them a weekly update. So, this will really eliminate a lot of work for them,” Webb said.

“You’re saying that the contractor or applicant can go online to check the status of their permit, and if the status shows the County has submitted to the State Environmental Health Office, the applicant doesn't have to call you, they can just call the State to see where the delay is?” Council President George L. Pfeffer asked.

“When I saw that after speaking to the company, that was one of the things I got most excited about,” Webb said.

Council Vice President Detmer pointed out that OpenGov was regarded as the gold standard, the most recommended process suggested by an ad hoc permit review body a year ago.

“Maryland passed legislation that all jurisdictions have to have an electronic software format for solar permits, and this would satisfy that requirement,” Webb said.

“This is an important thing to do. We’re talking about impact and other fees and dog licenses, and this is a tool that will help us be more efficient overall,” Detmer said.