The online permitting system that the town put in place just a few months ago appears to already be paying dividends, officials say.
Revenues taken in by the New Canaan Health Department since the town began switching to the OpenGov platform in November are up 30%, according to Health Director Jenn Eielson.
The reasons for the increase include that “I’m collecting the money right off the bat” and “nothing’s sneaking by anymore,” Eielson told members of the Board of Selectmen during a regular meeting Tuesday that was dedicated to the municipal budget.
“You see everything,” she said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “And again, collecting the fee up front is huge because you’re doing the work, where before they were collecting on the back end. Sometimes someone never came and picked it up. So you did all that work, and then the fee was never collected. Like this morning, for example, somebody checked ‘sewer’ instead of ‘septic,’ but I still get it [the application]. So I said, ‘No, you’re on septic,’ added back in the fee, and said I will not review and approve this until you pay the fee. So it’s much better, it’s more transparent, because everybody can see everything, which I love. This makes me very happy.”
The comments came during Eielson’s fiscal year 2025 budget presentation to the selectmen. The Health Department’s proposed spending plan calls for about $583,000, a 6% increase from the FY24 adopted budget, and anticipates about $156,000 in revenues, according to Eielson’s presentation.
Since the online permitting system went into effect, the Health Department has taken in about $52,000 by itself, and the town—Health plus Building, Inland Wetlands, Planning & Zoning and Public Works—about $360,000, according to Eielson, an early and persistent advocate for the change who co-managed the OpenGov project with IT Director Chris Kaiser.
Because it’s the first year of OpenGov, the town doesn’t know just how the permitting revenues will look in a full 12-month fiscal period, Eielson said, adding that in putting together the budget, she kept her department’s revenue flat year-over-year for FY25.
Responding to a question from Selectman Steve Karl about the wider budget implications of OpenGov, Eielson said, “By next November 1st, we’ll have that full year to really analyze, so next budget year when we all sit down —because that’s when we begin to make our budget, in November—we’ll have a much better idea of the impact revenue-wise, to be able to adjust accordingly.”
The Health Department by midsummer will be using the online platform for a number of permits, including restaurant and salon license renewals, pools and refuse and septic truck relicensing, according to Eielson’s presentation.