City of Rehoboth Beach technology roll out increases efficiency across departments

In a busy city organization, speedy and accurate information flow means not only increased efficiency but also real dollars. That’s an underlying theme that emerges when City of Rehoboth Beach employees talk about the recently launched technology upgrade that provides not only swifter access to data but also easier communication between city departments and city customers.

The Munis system purchased by the City of Rehoboth Beach from Tyler Technologies grew out of a commitment by City of Rehoboth Beach Commissioners to fund a business technology improvement project to replace the organization’s aging mainframe-based system with a state-of-the-art streamlined tech upgrade.

The new system is targeted to business transactions within the city’s financial, human resources, contract management, purchasing and inventory, and utility billing functions. Dramatically eliminating paper forms in favor of digital ones reduces the time spent on each step of a transaction such as a business license application, as well as the time it takes to navigate the approval process. City Manager Sharon Lynn praised the upgrade as a boon for the city. The Munis system cuts down on the time it takes for licenses and permits to be processed. “It allows us to be more efficient and more responsive to the outside customer,” she says.

“It should increase the efficiency of our staff at all levels by removing redundant manual processes,” said Max Hamby, the city’s Information Technology Director. Hamby added the more accurate and accessible data means that city departments can resolve issues quickly that, in the past, had required the time and coordination of multiple departments. “It’s a paradigm shift. It’s not just IT doing this. It’s a huge collaboration. Each department has to take ownership of how it affects their internal processes.”

The system has been deployed in the Finance Department and all city departments will be online with Munis in the coming months. Currently employees are meeting with the IT Department and experts from Tyler Technologies to determine how best to apply the software in their departments. The city’s use of the Munis system will continue to evolve as more and more applications for the technology emerge and customers will notice these changes through future billings during 2017. For more information, please contact the Communications Department at 302-227-2772 or email [email protected].