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12)What processes or functions within your department could be modified and would result <br />in saving time and effort for you or the department? <br />Many staff believe that increasing the use of technology is the best option for saving time <br />and effort within departments. Historically, the City of Little Canada has been slow to <br />identify and update operations through acquiring new technology and as a result some staff <br />characterize the City of Little Canada as behind other cities in its use of technology. <br />However, that has and is continuing to change as the Council and new staff come to realize <br />the benefit of technology in helping to address the increasing workloads and make staff <br />more efficient and effective. <br />Some of the technologies and updated software applications that departments have include <br />Public Works Workflow Management, Planning and Zoning Permitting Software, remote <br />meeting capabilities for Council meetings, CivicRec which is an on-line registration platform <br />used by Parks, auto bank payment through Payment Service Network for utility payments <br />and Laserfiche and electronic filing and retention of City documents. Staff will continue to <br />use and be further trained in the use of these new software applications to make the <br />operations more efficient and effective. <br />Some additional technologies that departments would like to further explore include <br />electronic time sheets, account payable and receivable software, electronic licensing, code <br />enforcement planning software and operating budget software, etc. The challenge again is <br />finding a staff member with time to lead staff in exploring, researching and determining <br />which product and vendor that will meet the City’s unique needs in each of these areas. <br />Another tool available to the City for saving time and effort in departments is contracting <br />for services when appropriate. For instance, the City has on several occasions contracted <br />with the Morris Leatherman Company and recently the University of Minnesota to conduct <br />citizen surveys. For these infrequent projects where the City does not have sufficient <br />expertise or experience, contracting is a great solution and could be considered more. <br />Future options for contracting out may include special projects and year end processes. <br />13)What other cities do you compare or consult with when seeking to identify trends or a <br />better way to provide local government services? <br />Some staff identified communities that they compare with based on location in Ramsey <br />County. Other staff indicated that it depended on what the topic was that they were <br />looking into and did not have any specifics. The cities that were most frequently cited as <br />comparisons to Little Canada, a City of approximately 10,819 residents, includes the <br />following: <br />1)Roseville- Ramsey County, population 33,660 <br />2)Shoreview- Ramsey County, population 26,941 <br />3)Arden Hills- Ramsey County, population 10,000 <br />18 of 63