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Five Accela Customers Receive 2011 Digital Cities Awards

Customers of Accela Automation software in Colorado, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin honored for use of technology in public service

SAN RAMON, Calif., Nov. 14, 2011– Five customers of Accela, Inc., the leading provider of cloud- and web-based software for e-government, have received top rankings among leading communities in the recent 2011 Digital Cities Awards. The 11thannual survey spotlighted the U.S. municipalities that best demonstrate how information and communication technology are used to enhance public service. The survey is conducted by the Center for Digital Government and Government Technology.

El Paso, Texas, and Virginia Beach, Va., placed among the top 10 digital cities with populations of 250,000 or higher; Madison, Wis., and Salt Lake City among those with populations of 125,000 – 250,000; and Westminster, Colo., among cities with 75,000 – 125,000 residents.

All five deploy Accela Automation® web-based, enterprise software to automate various functions, such as community development and planning, permitting and licensing, code enforcement, infrastructure asset management, and more. The software utilizes an open architecture and a centralized database, allowing information to be easily accessed across departments or between office and mobile workers, and providing citizens with easier access to government services.

“Accela Automation customers, whatever their size or type of jurisdiction, are governments committed to innovation and excellent service,” said Don Nanneman, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Accela. “These five Digital Cities exemplify the benefits that technology can deliver when communities set the bar high and increase both transparency and efficiency.”

  • El Paso uses Accela Automation’s applications for land management, licensing, asset management and service requests in various departments to manage hundreds of record types, ensure tight inter-team coordination, and deliver premium service to the public. The city recently deployed Accela Mobile Office™ among the field-based workers of several groups, providing access to the same data, GIS maps, and tools as back-office staff. The product’s create-and-store capability, which permits later data syncing, has proved critical in the unpredictable connectivity of El Paso’s mountainous terrain.
  • Salt Lake City deploys Accela Automation in numerous departments, primarily to manage permitting, licensing, and code enforcement activities; streamline formerly paper-based processes; and provide broad access to GIS maps. Mobility solutions for improved citizen service and worker efficiency have been paramount. In Building Services, Accela Citizen Access™ has enabled construction industry professionals to access and manage submissions, reviews, and inspections while in the field. Meanwhile, administrators can use the Accela Analytics™ iPad app, tied directly to the inspections database, to display a range of activity via charts and maps, and present the information on-the-spot in meetings. The department also uses the app to compare data on the volume of walk-in customers over different periods and adjust service levels accordingly.
  • Virginia Beach utilizes Accela Automation as the city’s code enforcement system for the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. Having recently launched Accela Citizen Access, the city is now able to provide the public with 24/7 online service to schedule inspections, view inspection results, and authorize a credit card payment.
  • Westminster’s Public Works department leverages Accela Automation’s asset management application for many initiatives, including the management of approximately 400 miles of sewer lines. The city has created an automated approach that maximizes resources by providing clear, actionable data and GIS maps at the fingertips of administrators and maintenance teams. The results have been dramatic. Ten years ago, the city averaged eight sanitary sewer overflows per year. Today, the city has gone more than two years without a single overflow.
  • Madison is in the process of completing a broad deployment of Accela Automation across numerous departments for land management, licensing and case management, and asset management activities.

Another Digital Cities winner, Fort Worth, Texas, plans to deploy Accela Automation in 2012. The full 2011 Digital Cities rankings may be viewed at: http://www.govtech.com/e-government/2011-Digital-Cities-Survey-Winners-Announced.html.

Media Contact

Gabe Graham
Accela
ggraham@accela.com

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