OpenGov Helpful Guides

About

Our Goal 

Building a customer-centric approach to service delivery. In other words, make it easier to buy a permit and get inspections.

Why OpenGov?

We selected OpenGov software because of the ease of use from the customer side. Applicants can get information easily and track a permit or project using the visual timeline to see the steps – 24/7. Communication with the right City employee or inspector is done easily online. If there are customers who are not “tech-savvy”, we will assist them in using a kiosk in our office to obtain the permit online.

For inspectors, no more writing notes on a clipboard to leave on the job-site and hoping the contractor gets them, and then coming back to the office to input the data. Inspectors have tablets to access all information associated with a project and perform any of the steps in the timeline from anywhere. These steps include: plan review, approving applications, taking payments, issuing permits, scheduling inspections, providing inspection results, answering questions and any other duties. This also means the applicant will have instant access to the information associated with his permit.
 

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FAQ's
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How long is it going to take to get a permit?

Only a few minutes. The first application may take a few additional steps because of registering and activating your account, and then learning the new process. But after that, it’ll be even quicker!

How do I register?

To begin using Wooster’s new software – OpenGov ‐ for the first time, go to the City’s homepage and click the link for OpenGov. Or, you can log on directly via the button link below.

1. In the upper right hand corner, click log in and choose “Sign up”.

2. Enter your email address and enter what you would like your password to be. Note: passwords must have at least 8 characters and include 1 upper case letter, 1 lower case letter and 1 digit. Log on. Please note: If you do not remember your credentials at any time, click on “Don’t remember your password?” to reset your information.

3. Go back to the upper right hand corner and click the log on again and select profile. Complete your profile by adding your name, phone number and address. You will only need to complete your profile once as it will be saved. Please note: You can turn on or off email notifications or reset your password. Leave email notifications turned on as you will be notified by email when communicating the City.

4. Once you’re logged in, follow the steps on each page to complete the permit applications.

When do I pay my permit fee?

The fee will be due after the form is submitted by you and then reviewed by the City. You will get notice via email once your application has been approved by an inspector and another notice via email that you can pay the fee. At that time, you have the option of paying online (by credit card) or in person. Please note that if you chose to pay by credit card, there is an additional processing fee (this fee will already be included in the estimated fee amount). Paying online will save you a trip to our office where you can pay by cash or check after you are notified that the fee is due. Once you pay the fee, a permit is automatically issued and you will be notified via email. You will then be notified of the next step, scheduling an inspection.

I received a notification about paying my permit fee. How do I pay it?

1. Click on the link in the email.

2. If you’re not already, log in with your email address and password.

3. Follow the steps on the page to enter your credit card information and pay.

What if I don’t want to pay with a credit card?

That’s ok. Once you’re notified that payment is due, you can come to our office and pay with cash or check. We would prefer it you pay online though: it’s easy and automatic, plus all of your information is secure!

What happens after I pay?

After you pay your fee, you’ll be notified the permit has been issued. The permit can be printed from any computer with access to a printer. Or, just save it as a pdf because you do not need to print anything. You don’t need to come back to pick up your permit! We save paper, fuel, time and energy.

Items to Highlight

• You can monitor the status of the application from home and see if any other action is needed online! Just log in to the site and click on Inbox (on the left) to see any current tasks that need your attention and your active records (current applications).

• Now that you have an account, you can use the same email address and password to apply for all of your future permits.