NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – During the N.C. Association of County Commissioners’ 116th annual conference last week, New Hanover County was honored with an Excellence in Innovation Award for the Building Safety Process Improvement plan implemented last year.
New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chair Bill Rivenbark, County Commissioners Rob Zapple and Jonathan Barfield, along with Assistant County Manager Tufanna Bradley were at the event to receive the award.
“Making continuous improvements to better serve our community is something we take great pride in, and this award proves those adjusted processes are the right thing to do,” said Rivenbark. “Along with being an award-winner from the National Association of Counties, the Building Safety Process Improvement has made it more efficient for construction requests to be submitted and reviewed by county staff. We’re proud of this new way to do things and are always looking for ways to make positive changes moving forward.”
As part of the new Building Safety Process Improvement, numerous changes were made, including a simplified fee structure, a reduction in required forms and an enhanced process that allows applications to be submitted via smartphone.
These and other systematic changes helped the county reduce the wait time for an application to be reviewed from 11 days from submission to a review starting on the day of submission.
In addition to this award, Commissioner Barfield was also recognized for his work to complete the Local Elected Leaders Academy. Barfield was presented with an Ambassador Recognition Level certificate to commemorate his achievement. The intensive program featured one-on-one coaching as well as a residential leadership program in Chapel Hill.
To learn more about the work of the NCACC, visit the organization’s website here.