Government

Civic Innovators

Explore real government change on the Civic Innovators Podcast – a fresh take on civic innovation, created for and by public sector professionals.

Latest Episodes:

Introducing Rob Lloyd: An Operator’s Perspective on Modernizing Government in the Age of AI Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

In this milestone episode, Civic Innovators welcomes a new co-host: Rob Lloyd, Director of the Center for Digital Government and former CTO of Seattle and San Jose. With over 30 years of civic technology leadership, Rob brings a rare dual perspective, having built transformation initiatives from inside city government and now advising municipalities nationwide.

Rob and host Noel Reininger dig into what it actually takes to modernize civic operations. Rob argues that technology is often the easiest part of the equation; the harder work is listening, aligning departments, and understanding how permitting, licensing, and code enforcement connect to bigger outcomes like public safety, economic development, and housing security.

The conversation covers:

Why successful transformation requires aligning three levels of an organization: operational, managerial, and strategic.
How the best government leaders are bringing CIOs into strategic conversations early, rather than treating technology as an afterthought.
A five-part framework for where AI can add real value in planning and permitting: improving rules and regulations, conversational bots for constituents, pre-check submittals, process optimization, and benchmarking across cities.
Why building a partner ecosystem, rather than trying to solve everything in-house, is critical for cities navigating rapid technology change.
How regulatory environments are constantly shifting, and why the ability to update systems quickly matters as much as the systems themselves.

Whether you're a city leader starting a modernization effort or a technologist working alongside government, this conversation offers a grounded look at what separates organizations that transform successfully from those that stall.

Visibility as a Service: How Stockton Turned Workflow History Into Real-Time Permitting KPIs Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

How does a city turn raw permitting data into real operational insight?

In this episode, Accela CEO Noam Reininger and e.Republic Chief Innovation Officer Joe Morris talk with Rob Liddicoat, Deputy Director of Community Development for the City of Stockton, California, about Stockton's journey from anecdotal performance explanations to data-driven KPIs and real-time dashboards.

Rob walks through how Stockton's team built custom calculations from Accela's enhanced reporting database, developed workload monitoring dashboards that gave every department visibility into "who has the ball," and used that clarity to shift from reactive firefighting to proactive operational management.

The results speak for themselves: initial review targets for new commercial construction projects went from being met just 17% of the time to over 85%, and multifamily residential projects went from 3% to 100% in the most recent six-month period.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- How to build trustworthy KPIs from existing workflow history data

- Why standardizing workflows makes performance metrics easier to calculate

- How shared visibility changes accountability across departments

- The policy change Stockton made after tracking review cycle counts

- Practical advice for agencies just starting their own data journey.

Learn more at accela.com.

Modern by Design: How Mesa’s Paperless Transformation Future-Proofed City Services May 12, 2026

Show notes

What does it take to go fully paperless overnight?

In 2017, Mesa, Arizona eliminated paper from permitting, planning, and licensing entirely. No phased rollout. No fallback. Just a full commitment to digital transformation.

In this episode, Heather Bassford, Development Services, and Samuel Small, Senior Software Engineer, from the City of Mesa join Accela CEO Noam Reininger and eRepublic's Joe Morris to share how they pulled it off, and what they'd tell every other city still on the fence.

What you'll hear:

How Mesa built trust with contractors, developers, and mom-and-pop applicants
How they cut right-of-way permit processing from 15 minutes to 15 seconds
Why low-code tools let their team respond to new regulations in days
How data democratization changed the way leadership makes decisions

If your city is weighing a big digital move and wondering how to manage the change, this episode is for you.

Learn more at accela.com.

The Cleveland ERA: A Playbook for Transparent, Customer‑First Permitting Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

What does it take to modernize one of America's most complex permitting systems and make it work for residents?In this episode of Civic Innovators, we visit Cleveland, Ohio, where Mayor Justin Bibb's Cleveland Era agenda is transforming how the city delivers services. With nearly $2 billion in annual construction permitting and projects requiring review from up to 16 departments, Cleveland faced a real challenge: too much paper, too little visibility, and a process that left residents and businesses in the dark.Kimberly Roy Wilson, Director of Information Technology, and Sally Martin O'Toole, Director of Building and Housing, share how Cleveland moved its permitting and plan review to the cloud, deployed a citywide electronic plan room, and built real-time KPI dashboards that drive daily decisions, from clearing backlogs to making the case for additional staff capacity.The result? A transparent, data-driven process that holds both government and applicants accountable and keeps Cleveland moving at the speed of business.Learn more at accela.com/podcast.

When Disaster Strikes: How Butte County Uses Accela to Rebuild and Recover Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Civic Innovators, we spotlight how Patrick Miner and Butte County are redefining disaster recovery and community resilience by leveraging Accela’s scalability and automation. Patrick shares his firsthand experience rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires, the challenges of operating with minimal resources, and how technology enables small teams to deliver big results for their communities.Learn more at accela.com/podcast.

From 50 Days to 6.5: The Develop 901 Story of Modernizing Development Services Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Civic Innovators, we spotlight how Memphis/Shelby County’s Develop901 initiative is transforming development management, connecting departments, and driving efficiency through Accela. Nidia Logan-Robinson shares the story of building a common platform, fostering partnerships, and making it easier to do business in the region.

Learn more at accela.com/podcast

From 90 Days to Next-Level Service: Citrus County's Customer-Centric Permitting Transformation Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

When Eric Landon, Growth Management Director for Citrus County, Florida, faced 90-day permit delays and mounting constituent complaints, he knew something had to change. But instead of rushing into a technology solution, he did something radical: he got in pickup trucks with contractors and asked end users what they actually needed.

In this episode of Civic Innovators, hosts Noam Reininger, CEO of Accela, and Joe Morris, Chief Innovation Officer at Government Technology, sit down with Eric to unpack how Citrus County transformed their permitting operation—processing 20,000 permits and 80,000 inspections annually—into a customer-centric model that launched with barely a complaint.

You'll learn:

Why Eric believes they're not a building department, but a customer service department
How involving stakeholders in system selection turned potential adversaries into teammates
The "soft opening" strategy that lets contractors beta test the new system
How offering multiple learning paths (YouTube videos, classroom training, and white-glove concierge service) prevented launch chaos
Why silence from elected officials became the ultimate measure of success
What's next: expanding service requests across all county departments for true transparency and accountability

This is a masterclass in change management, stakeholder engagement, and putting people before technology. Whether you're facing your own digital transformation or looking to improve constituent services, Eric's practical approach offers a roadmap for making it work.

Learn more at accela.com.

Governance in Action: How San Diego’s IT-Business Partnership Drives Civic Success Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

On this episode, we will spotlight how the City of San Diego built a successful IT-business partnership to deliver effective technology solutions. Elyse Lowe and Jonathan Behnke join us to discuss how collaboration, shared leadership, and strategic alignment are driving better outcomes for all stakeholders.

Rewriting the Rules: Inside Merced County’s Permitting Overhaul Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Civic Innovators, we sit down with Nicole Ubbink, Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development for Merced County, California, to explore how the county achieved a 72% improvement in permits processed within just 90 days of launching a new digital platform.

Merced County recently unified its entire permitting and land management operations—moving to 100% online submittals and payments, streamlining internal workflows, and breaking down departmental silos that had existed for years. This transformation didn’t just modernize operations—it reshaped how staff work, how citizens engage, and how departments collaborate.

Learn more at accela.com/podcast.

Building Efficiency: How Tampa & Lennar Homes Cut Plan Review Times by 30% Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Cities and builders are collaborating to streamline complex processes, reduce delays, and meet the challenges of modern development head-on.

In this episode, join Accela CEO Noam Reininger and eRepublic President Dustin Haisler as they speak with JC Hudgison, Chief Building Official at the City of Tampa, and Chris Smith, Vice President of Forward Planning at Lennar Homes, about their groundbreaking partnership that has reduced permit review times by 30% and created a scalable model for urban development.

Learn more at accela.com.

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