Commissioner Dan Jones Embraces a 21st Century Approach to Running the City of Mount Vernon’s Building Department and Going Digital in 2018 and Beyond

Since taking over the job of Commissioner of the Department of Buildings, Dan Jones has taken a 21st century approach to running day-to-day operations. Under the direction of Mayor Richard Thomas, Jones has introduced computerized application process for permits. Other measures include creating a customer concierge to reduce unnecessarily long wait times. Jones said his team has also laid the groundwork for electronic payments using debit and credit cards.

“Fixing the Buildings Department has been an incredible battle since we took it on day one of my administration,” said Mayor Thomas. “The department has lacked the proper staffing and adequate funding for years, which means less revenue generated for the city, less development in Mount Vernon, greater safety risks for our residents, and poor service for customers. By introducing new technology and better management, Commissioner Dan Jones is making the Department more responsive. The result should be better service.”

Additionally, Commissioner Jones introduced a SharePoint portal to improve transfer of documents and communication between developers and DOB. This system allows DOB to work in sync with the developer’s time table, streamline the inspection and permit process and drastically increase efficiency.

Sam Mermelstein, principal of Enclave Equites, said “This improvement of service has already increased our confidence in the Buildings Department, and I look forward to utilizing this technology for future projects”.

In 2017 the Mount Vernon Industrial Development Agency partnered with the Buildings Department as part of its mission to promote and safeguard the economic well-being of the city.

Specifically, the IDA passed resolutions to hire professional firms including architects, engineers and inspectors to perform work that the Buildings Department could not perform due to lack of staffing and inadequate funding.

The IDA assisted in clearing a back log of over one hundred applications and resulted in more than $300 million of direct capital investment in the city.

Based on this foundation, Jones said the DOB is ready to continuously improve customer service and reduce backlogs for all functions provided by the DOB including thorough document management that improves response time and increases transparency.

Mayor Richard Thomas

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At 33, Richard Thomas is the youngest Mayor in Mount Vernon history! (2016–2019) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayorRichardThomas