Out-of-the-box SaaS applications are helping cities, states, and counties nationwide speed up economic development, address housing challenges, and prepare for emerging regulatory arenas

SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 9, 2018 — (PRNewswire) —   Accela, the leading provider of cloud-based productivity solutions for government, announced today multiple new Software-as-a-Solution (SaaS) government customers including Anne Arundel, Maryland; Jurupa Valley, California; Santa Barbara, California; Pinellas County, Florida; Westport, Connecticut; and New Haven, Indiana. These localities join the accelerating ranks of state and local government agencies turning to a software as a service model to better deliver citizen services.

"Accela's modern SaaS solutions ensure state and local governments can immediately address rapidly shifting citizen demands and regulatory challenges, while future-proofing their operations," said Dennis Michalis, Accela's recently announced chief revenue officer at Accela. "We value each of our customers and applaud them for their visionary govtech strategy, and the meaningful impact they are having on their communities.""

Michalis is part of a new set of industry veterans to join Accela's leadership team that will focus on strategic direction in cloud operations, SaaS and customer solutions.

"Accela offered an out-of-the-box solution for the essential back office and customer-facing functions we knew were essential for a successful launch," said Andrew Brisbo, director of Michigan LARA's Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation. "The system allowed us to be creative in our approach to implementing our processes and adjusting on the fly as our knowledge of the industry grew. Having a flexible solution that can be adapted to changes in laws and regulations is essential for continuing to offer quality service to the state's residents."

"We selected Accela for the city of Jurupa Valley's first dedicated permit tracking software based on its ability to provide seamless workflow between the city's Development Services departments, its enhanced customer service features including online permitting and secure customer portals for real-time permit status as well as the software's ability to handle trust accounts for the development community. We look forward to going live with the software by the summer of 2019," said Tim Jonasson, Jurupa Valley's senior manager of Development Services & Economic Development.

In 2018, Accela introduced a new line of purpose-built SaaS applications for government. Accela's Civic Applications provide customers with robust yet flexible software pre-configured with best-practice workflows for governments' most common and pressing operational needs. In June, Accela launched two applications that help governments better manage the planning and building process for residential and commercial construction and to spur economic growth: Accela Civic Application for Planning and Accela Civic Application for Building. In March, the company launched Accela Civic Application for Cannabis Regulation and Accela Civic Application for Short- t erm Rental Registration, which were the first product offerings in the Civic Applications suite. The new out-of-the-box Civic Applications provide governments with quicker implementations and a significantly shorter time to value.  

In July, the state of Michigan achieved a major milestone in cannabis regulation with the release of its first set of medical marijuana licenses powered by Accela Civic Application for Cannabis Regulation. Michigan's successful launch was made possible by Accela's years of leadership in delivering licensing, permitting and regulatory solutions, as well as leading best practices in the cannabis market. Accela worked with the city and county of Denver to develop a recreational cannabis permitting solution in 2012. At the time of launch, Denver was the first major recreational cannabis market in the country bringing five departments, each with their own distinct roles, together with data to improve and safeguard the county's oversight.

In June, Accela announced that Fresno, California, had selected multiple Accela solutions to help the city streamline service delivery, build a better community and improve the citizen experience. With Accela's technology, cities across the country including Tampa, Florida; Palo Alto, California; Hillsboro, Oregon; and McAllen, Texas have aligned with land developers to meet their long-term economic goals—and the technology they put in place to get there.

In McAllen, Texas, Luis Vasquez, the city's chief building official at the office of Building Permits and Inspections said turnaround times have been slashed drastically. "Thanks to our Accela solution, we were able to reduce turnaround times for residential permits from approximately three weeks to three days, and for commercial permits, from two months to five to 10 days," Vasquez said.

To learn more about Accela Civic Solutions, please visit: https://www.accela.com/solutions/.

About Accela

Accela provides market-leading SaaS solutions that empower state and local governments to build thriving communities, grow businesses and protect citizens. From planning, building, licensing and permitting, to asset and service request management, environmental health and more, Accela's offerings accelerate efficiency and transparency in governments of all sizes. Powered by Microsoft Azure, Accela's open and flexible technology helps agencies address specific needs today, while ensuring they are prepared for any emerging or complex challenges in the future. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with additional offices around the world. For more information, visit www.accela.com.

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SOURCE Accela