As the city of Fort Worth continues to expand, officials are looking for ways to improve civic processes rather than keep the status quo. One area of concern is the Certificate of Occupancy (CO) process.
Fort Worth’s Development Services Department (DSD) is trying to get residents moved in quickly and easily by streamlining the application process.
A CO is a document provided by the City certifying that a structure is habitable based on the type of property, its legal use, and its compliance with all housing and building codes.
Each structure must pass a final inspection before cities provide a CO.
The DSD worked with representatives from the Development Advisory Committee, local real estate groups, consulting firms, and other interested parties to research how Fort Worth can make it easier to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy.
Lean Six Sigma experts consulted with these representatives to help them identify, define, measure, and analyze potential problems in the process and optimize possible solutions.
The group created a Certificate of Occupancy Process Continuous Improvement Initiatives plan, outlining possible improvements and solutions to the current system.
“It was important to us to include all the voices of our customers when we are looking to make progress,” said DSD Director D.J. Harrell. “Getting such a varied group of people together gives us a much clearer and wider view of the wants and needs of our clients.”
The plan highlights several ways the City can improve the permit procedure to facilitate synergy and attain a higher standard of customer service.
“The purpose of this project was to identify and eliminate waste, increase departmental cooperation,
evaluate and decrease process time, and increase transparency associated with the CO application process,” the document reads.
The next step in the process is approval from City executives before these processes can be implemented internally.
According to the DSD, its goal is a 50% reduction in voided or incomplete applications and a 25% reduction in zoning application holds by the end of the year.
Last year, applicants submitted 3,971 CO applications. Of those, 380 were left incomplete, according to the data. The DSD aims to see that 10% measure cut in half by the end of 2022.
The DSD has an ongoing commitment to improving the permit process, and the City intends to hire a full-time employee to assist those applying in the future.
“Ensuring our customer service is seamless and reliable is paramount,” Harrell said. “I am extremely appreciative of the hard work our assistant director Jennifer Roberts, department staff, and other members of the group continue to do because these changes and enhancements to the permit and application procedure are just the beginning, not the end.”