Council Property And Resource Consents Files Go Online

All property and resource consent paper files held by the Marlborough District Council are being converted to electronic records as the Council prepares to make this information available online.

This will mean that customers will be able to view files at any time from their home, office or laptop.

However, anyone who does not have access to a computer, or who wants assistance finding a file online, can visit Council’s Blenheim or Picton offices where there will be viewing stations in the reception area for customers to use.

Currently the Council runs a dual records system with paper files as well as electronic records.

Council Chief Information Officer Stacey Young says the move is in line with the local government philosophy of making information easily accessible.

“It’s about transparency, openness and efficiency. Today’s technology makes it possible to circulate information very easily. We can see that this will save time and therefore money for our customers and it will be more efficient for the Council,” she said.

On October 28, all property and resource consent files will be removed from Council offices to be scanned. It is anticipated that scanning will be completed by December 2013. Any file that has been scanned will be viewable online. Customers can request information from files not yet scanned using the online request form, on the Council’s website.

“It may take up to 24-48 hours to do this. We appreciate that this may create small delays and we do ask for patience,” says Ms Young.

“We believe that long-term, this will be a much more efficient system for everyone, not only cutting down on time and paper but also making information more readily available,” she said.

STACEY YOUNG
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER