Case Study

Case Study: City of Creedmoor

Growing Community with Citywide Permitting

Location:

Creedmoor, Texas

Population:

~425

Modules:

Citywide Permitting

Customer Portal

Introduction

Creedmoor is a small city on the rolling hills of prairie land south of Austin, Texas. As of 2023, the city has been experiencing rapid population growth in their small community of 400 members. With growth comes an influx of permits – from building permits, residential improvement plans, to developer agreements – each needing management and administration. To assist, Creedmoor implemented Citywide Permitting, which provided an integrated platform to automatically track permits from their first submission through each stage of reviews that, along with the user-friendly Customer Portal, allowed Creedmoor staff to feel confident in their planning capacity moving forward.

Challenge

As a small City, the city of Creedmoor was used to managing their activities using grassroots methods. When PSD Citywide and city administrators first connected, Creedmoor staff were organizing and coordinating their permitting and planning process using a whiteboard. With no digital records, no standardized organization method, and no easy way to directly communicate with community members, the existing permitting process was fragmented and inefficient.
Amanda Bearden of the city of Creedmoor described the process before PSD Citywide:

Before PSD, there really wasn’t a process; no consistent method. Permits weren’t saved properly, and half the time we couldn’t find them anywhere. I’d have to dig through a filing cabinet and just hope it was there.

The city’s administrator recognized the importance of efficiency and providing high levels of service to their constituents. She worked hard to deliver fast results and process permits effectively, however, their manual system made tracking permit timelines and coordinating tasks and inspections time-consuming and demanding. As a small community, Creedmoor staff did not think they could justify leveraging digital enterprise software for permit management.

The city of Creedmoor is expecting continued rapid population growth as they welcome hundreds of new community members in the coming years. To manage the incoming flow of people, resources, and infrastructure needs, Creedmoor staff needed to modernize their permitting process beyond the whiteboard.

Solution

After meeting with PSD Citywide permitting advisors, the city of Creedmoor decided to adopt the Citywide Permitting module. Citywide Permitting allowed staff to create, track, and report on all activity from application submission to issuance, reaching a level of monitoring and coordination not previously possible for Creedmoor staff. Administrators were originally impressed by the system’s ability to assign permit numbers automatically. As time went on, the system exceeded expectations.
“ As a small city, we couldn’t afford the other systems out there. PSD offers all the same features – honestly, more than I realized – and it’s accessible for cities like ours. It’s something we can grow with,”
Amanda explains. Beyond automatically identifying permits, Citywide Permits stores customizable permit templates across a variety of types, tracks complete and incomplete information, assigns specific staff members for inspection and review, facilitates cross-department collaboration, and more. The city of Creedmoor and the PSD Citywide Implementation team collaborated to integrate over 30 permit types into the digital Citywide Permitting platform, each one configured to Creedmoor’s unique requirements and objectives. Over five distinct reviews and tasks were generated to allow permits to move through the review process, including over 17 inspection types and more than 20 permit structures.

Citywide Permits provides software that can adapt as the city of Creedmoor’s community and staff learn and grow. Now, the city is in the process of implementing the Citywide Customer Portal to allow community members to submit permit applications directly to the review team via its city website. The Customer Portal will be seamlessly integrated into the existing Creedmoor platform, making it easy to access for developers and city residents. With software that is built in-house to integrate seamlessly with both existing and third-party applications, Creedmoor is well-equipped to manage increasingly complex permitting processes and meet the needs of a modernizing community.

We get asked almost daily if people can apply for permits online. The new portal is really exciting because it takes a lot of pressure off of us. Now, people will be able to apply, upload documents, and follow a checklist all on their own.

Results

For a small community like the city of Creedmoor, the smallest details mean the most impact. Using the vertically integrated Citywide Permitting platform allowed Creedmoor staff to significantly improve their efficiency by transforming their permitting organization system. The Citywide Permitting platform allowed the city to provide detailed, customized templates for permits, leading to an increase in complete applications and a decrease in permitting review time.

The Citywide Permitting system works for all municipalities – whether communities of 400 or 400,000. Before implementing Citywide Permitting, Creedmoor staff juggled filing systems and whiteboards to keep track of permits and communicate with constituents. These tools were insufficient and contributed inefficient use of crucial time and resources.
As the community grows, the importance of adaptability and effective responses grows. In one new development in the growing city, Creedmoor staff anticipate about 1,000 permits attached to each house across various phases of construction. Now, they can review, manage, and complete hundreds more per year, by leveraging the power of an integrated and automated platform. Shifting to Citywide Permitting not only alleviates short-term pressure for small municipalities, but builds a foundation for long-term growth and community resiliency.

The PSD system has made our lives so much easier. Everything is in one place now, and I know I can track a permit and see who submitted it along with all the necessary details.

Amanda Bearden
City of Creedmoor
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Case Study: City of Creedmoor

Growing Community with Citywide Permitting

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As their population grew, the City of Creedmoor needed a better way to manage the rising volume and complexity of permit applications. By implementing Citywide Permitting, the City moved from whiteboards and paper files to a fully integrated digital platform—streamlining reviews, improving service delivery, and setting the stage for long-term community growth.

Streamlined permitting

Citywide Permitting replaced manual processes with a centralized system, allowing staff to create, track, and manage over 30 different permit types.

Improved review speed and accuracy

Custom permit templates, automated tracking, and tailored workflows led to more complete applications and faster permit approval times.

Modernized application process

Residents and developers can now manage permit applications online—reducing inquiries and allowing staff to focus on higher-value work.

“We get asked almost daily if people can apply for permits online. The new portal is really exciting because it takes a lot of pressure off of us. Now, people will be able to apply, upload documents, and follow a checklist all on their own.”

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