HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/17/2019 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 112, 2019, APPROPRIAgenda Item 5
Item # 5 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY September 17, 2019
City Council
STAFF
Tom Leeson, Director, Comm Dev & Neighborhood Svrs
Brad Yatabe, Legal
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 112, 2019, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Data and
Communications Fund for Implementation of Electronic Plan Review.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to appropriate funds from the reserves of the Data and Communications Fund for
implementation of electronic plan review as part of the building permit process.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
This appropriation is considered Phase II of the overall Electronic Plan Review project. The first phase included a
software upgrade to the permit tracking software, Accela, as well as needed hardware upgrades. This
appropriation request will enable the City of Fort Collins to make improvements to the building permit electronic
plan review, and the funds will be utilized to support consulting services from TruePoint Solutions to assist the
City of Fort Collins IT and Development Services (Building) Departments with the implementation of
improvements to the existing Accela system. Implementation of these improvements is intended to help better
track and manage improved building permit processes. This phase of the project is anticipated to be complete
by Q1 2020, and following that, a third phase is expected to be needed.
The scope of this project will include the following elements:
Business and System Analysis Support: Identify options for improving Accela system features and
functionality to better support the City’s proposed building permit process improvements.
Specific activities include:
• Confirmation of high-level business requirements
• Further development/confirmation of detailed requirements for new/improved functionality
• Review and prioritization of new/improved feature and functionality options
• Confirmation of the overall solution design
• Identification of specific configuration and scripting changes in Accela that will provide
features/functionality required to best support building permit process improvements
• Identification of new reports and/or changes to existing reports needed to support building permit process
improvements
• Detailed planning for development/implementation of configuration and scripting changes
Agenda Item 5
Item # 5 Page 2
Configuration and Scripting: Develop and implement the necessary Accela configuration and scripting
changes to deliver the feature and functionality improvements based on the detailed requirements identified
under the Business and System Analysis Support task.
Report Design and Development: Design and develop reports necessary to support the City’s reporting
requirements as defined under the Business and Systems Analysis service item.
Testing Support: TruePoint will provide assistance to City staff in testing of improved features and
functionality under this service item. Examples of such support include assisting with the development of test
plans/procedures, assistance with training staff who will be performing testing, and
explanation/documentation/demonstration of features/functionality to be tested.
Go Live/Post Go-Live Support: TruePoint will provide support and assistance to City staff in the adoption
and use of new features and functionality as they are initially implemented in the production environment. This
task also includes activities such as assistance with troubleshooting and fixes/changes to functionality if issues
or questions arise after implementation in the City production environment.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The total cost of implementation for this phase is $350,000. The funding source is the reserves of the Data and
Communications Fund. This amount represents the TruePoint time and reimbursable direct costs ($316,800)
plus additional funds to account for potential change in scope or unanticipated work order items ($33,200).
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Although there was no formal public outreach; designers, developers, and contractors that have been using
the current level of electronic plan review have widely praised the City’s efforts to move in this direction and
anticipate a wider use for electronic plan review in all aspects of development review.
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ORDINANCE NO. 112, 2019
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE DATA
AND COMMUNCIATIONS FUND FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF
ELECTRONIC PLAN REVIEW
WHEREAS, the Community Development and Neighborhood Services and Information
Technology Departments have collaborated to implement electronic plan review of development
applications in order to better serve the citizens of Fort Collins through increased efficiency; and
WHEREAS, the completed first phase of the electronic plan review included upgrades to
the permit tracking software, Accela, and hardware upgrades; and
WHEREAS, the planned second phase will enable improvements to the building permit
electronic plan review and retain outside consulting services from TruePoint Solutions to assist
with further Accela improvements; and
WHEREAS, in order to implement the second phase, an appropriation in the amount of
three hundred fifty-thousand dollars from the Data and Communications Fund is necessary; and
WHEREAS, this appropriation benefits public health, safety and welfare of the citizens
of Fort Collins and serves the public purpose of increasing the efficiency of development
application review; and
WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to
appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be
available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not
previously appropriated; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended the appropriation described herein and
determined that this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the Data and
Communications Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Data and
Communications Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be
received in that fund during any fiscal year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the Data and
Communications Fund the sum of THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
($350,000) for expenditure in the Data and Communications Fund for the implementation of
phase 2 of electronic plan review.
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Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 17th day of
September, A.D. 2019, and to be presented for final passage on the 1st day of October, A.D.
2019.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 1st day of October, A.D. 2019.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk