OKEECHOBEE – A new software program will make it easier for community members to check on building permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy.

At their Dec. 12 meeting, Okeechobee County commissioners voted to contract with Tyler Technology for the software, contingent on the approval of the Okeechobee Property Appraiser to link to it from the property appraiser website. If the property appraiser does not agree to the link, the issue will come back before the county commission for more discussion. They also voted to add a 5% charge to Building, Code Enforcement and Planning fees to offset the cost of this program.

According to the staff report, Okeechobee County uses a software program to manage the entire building permitting process, including the initial application, reviewing the plans, issuing permits, scheduling and performing inspections and final approvals and the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy. The program also has modules for Code Enforcement and Planning activities that all tie into the correct parcels. A desired upgrade to the permitting program and permitting process is to stage it in the cloud. Operating in the cloud allows more complete access for staff, contractors and the public.

In addition to hosting the program and the data, the vendor also assumes responsibility for maintaining the program and resolving issues, such as forgotten access credentials and passwords.

The county appointed a Professional Services Evaluation Committee to review software programs that can provide the necessary permit management services in the cloud. The committee included: Beth Albert, representing Code Enforcement; Jamie Werk, representing permitting; Bill Royce, representing planning; Wes Abney, representing contractors; and Jennifer Busbin representing planning and the public. Other staff of the Community Development Department, Safebuilt Florida, Fire/Rescue, Information Technology, and members of the private sector were also involved in the review and discussion of the various options.

The cost for initial acquisition, data migration, program installation and configuration and training is $225,000. The annual maintenance fee is $80,078.  Although $80,078 is substantially more than the annual maintenance fee that is paid for the current program, there will be more users on the new system, and the vendor takes full responsibility for hosting the data, maintaining the software and fixing issues that may arise. It may also be noted that if the county were to transition to the cloud with the current program, the annual maintenance fee would be comparable to the fee that will be charged by the new vendor.

The committee requested that the commissioners consider implementing a Technology Charge to supplement the current administration fee of $5 per permit and help cover the annual operating cost of the program. A charge of 5% of the transaction amount for all Building, Code Enforcement, Planning, and other transactions run through the new program was proposed, with a minimum charge of $5 per transaction. That charge should generate $60,000 to $65,000 per year. The charge would be implemented beginning March 1, 2024, the approximate date that the transition to the new program will commence.