Civic Innovators

What does it take to go fully paperless overnight?In 2017, Mesa, Arizona eliminated paper from permitting, planning, and licensing entirely. No phased rollout. No fallback. Just a full commitment to digital transformation.In this episode, Heather Bassford, Development Services, and Samuel Small, Senior Software Engineer, from the City of Mesa join Accela CEO Noam Reininger and eRepublic's Joe Morris to share how they pulled it off, and what they'd tell every other city still on the fence.What you'll hear:How Mesa built trust with contractors, developers, and mom-and-pop applicantsHow they cut right-of-way permit processing from 15 minutes to 15 secondsWhy low-code tools let their team respond to new regulations in daysHow data democratization changed the way leadership makes decisionsIf your city is weighing a big digital move and wondering how to manage the change, this episode is for you.Learn more at accela.com.

On this episode of Civic Innovators, we spotlight how Patrick Miner and Butte County are redefining disaster recovery and community resilience by leveraging Accela’s scalability and automation. Patrick shares his firsthand experience rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires, the challenges of operating with minimal resources, and how technology enables small teams to deliver big results for their communities.Learn more at accela.com/podcast.

When Eric Landon, Growth Management Director for Citrus County, Florida, faced 90-day permit delays and mounting constituent complaints, he knew something had to change. But instead of rushing into a technology solution, he did something radical: he got in pickup trucks with contractors and asked end users what they actually needed.In this episode of Civic Innovators, hosts Noam Reininger, CEO of Accela, and Joe Morris, Chief Innovation Officer at Government Technology, sit down with Eric to unpack how Citrus County transformed their permitting operation—processing 20,000 permits and 80,000 inspections annually—into a customer-centric model that launched with barely a complaint.You'll learn:Why Eric believes they're not a building department, but a customer service departmentHow involving stakeholders in system selection turned potential adversaries into teammatesThe "soft opening" strategy that lets contractors beta test the new systemHow offering multiple learning paths (YouTube videos, classroom training, and white-glove concierge service) prevented launch chaosWhy silence from elected officials became the ultimate measure of successWhat's next: expanding service requests across all county departments for true transparency and accountabilityThis is a masterclass in change management, stakeholder engagement, and putting people before technology. Whether you're facing your own digital transformation or looking to improve constituent services, Eric's practical approach offers a roadmap for making it work.Learn more at accela.com.

In this episode of Civic Innovators, we sit down with Nicole Ubbink, Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development for Merced County, California, to explore how the county achieved a 72% improvement in permits processed within just 90 days of launching a new digital platform. Merced County recently unified its entire permitting and land management operations—moving to 100% online submittals and payments, streamlining internal workflows, and breaking down departmental silos that had existed for years. This transformation didn’t just modernize operations—it reshaped how staff work, how citizens engage, and how departments collaborate.Learn more at accela.com/podcast.

What Happens in Vegas… Can Transform Your Agency Discover how Clark County CIO Bob Leek is transforming government services through strategic vision, platform integration, and a $40M investment in modernization. Learn how Accela helps scale civic innovation to meet the demands of one of the nation’s largest counties—and how any agency can follow the same path to success.