The Town of Culver is finally ready to put permit applications online.
Town Council members received an update Tuesday night after a meeting last week between Town Management and the Marshall County Planning and Building Office. Neighboring communities in Marshall County have been using an online permit system for almost one year to improve efficiency for contractors and local residents.
Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe wondered if there was a way to compile a list of all the projects for which the town issues permits.
“If certain things aren’t in there now that we do permits for, we’re still going to be in the same pickle,” says Munroe.
Culver found itself running behind other communities, requiring additional time to develop a new fee schedule. The original proposal was met with resistance by local contractors who felt the fees were too high. They were eventually revised down.
Culver operates a bit differently, charging town fees in addition to county fees on permits to help pay for its own building commissioner and certain legal fees. Other communities in Marshall County simply use the county’s planning and building resources.
A few questions remain before Culver puts its applications online such as how to manage the money received to be in compliance with the Department of Local Government Finance.
Marshall County Plan Director Ralph Booker says a request was made by the Culver Building Commissioner to continue performing certain duties on paper such as keeping track of registered contractors.
“If you’re not checking the list periodically, and it changes on a daily basis, if their bond expires or their insurance expires or other things expire, they’re not on the list,” says Booker.
The online system is also capable of notifying local utility providers and the post office in the instance a newly built home needs a new address.
It is unknown how long it will take to migrate Culver’s information to the county’s system. The Culver Town Council voted for a launch date of September 1st.
