How Clay County, Florida Launched a Civic Engagement Platform, Starting with Modernization of Its Web Experience

Clay County staff were given less than a month’s notice that their public records management and citizen request management (CRM) systems would no longer be supported by their previous vendor. With an end-of-life system during a global health crisis, continuity of critical services online was imperative.

As the County began the process of revamping their digital presence, citizen experience was at the forefront. “We wanted to ensure that our technology is user friendly, accessible for all residents, and helps residents get the information they need without jumping through a lot of hoops,” said Samantha Radomski, Administrative and Web Content Specialist.

The previous systems required significant effort for both residents and staff. Residents would submit requests by clicking on a link in the service hub, which took them to the appropriate PDF form. Some forms were fillable, but others needed to be printed out, completed, and returned. For staff, the system required a lot of clicking around, switching between multiple screens to complete a task. When it came to communications, Clay County relied heavily on its website and social media pages, requiring residents to seek out key information on their own.

The County had already selected Granicus as a partner for its website. When the news came that a prior vendor would no longer support the County’s legacy service platform, adding digital services and communications solutions from the same vendor made sense.

Clay County and the Granicus implementation team quickly switched priorities to prevent service interruption. Within three weeks, Granicus trained Radomski on Granicus govService and helped her build the first two services: Public Records Request and ReportIt, which is a 311-type service where citizens can report a pothole, a downed tree, a lost animal, missed garbage collection, and more. These services went live before the old platform’s service ended.

The team also initiated implementation of govDelivery, a critical solution for communicating important public health information to residents during the pandemic via email, SMS, and social media messages. With govDelivery, Clay County had an easy-to-use resource that enabled the team to connect with residents in their preferred channels, connected employees internally, and ensured that residents received important updates about the pandemic and, later, vaccination.

One month after Go Live, Clay County had received 886 cases through the two live services, with County staff closing 688 of the cases opened. Previously, the County averaged 480 online cases per month. While Radomski jokes that more people are reporting potholes as COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, she adds that closing cases is easier for staff in govService.

“Staff members didn’t like all the steps required in the old system,” said Radomski. “Now, they’re very excited about the fact that everything is right there. They can work, and have all the questions, along with everything they have to do, in front of them.”

After the first two services went live, Radomski built a new service on her own using govService DIY Service Designer. The new service allows residents to request ambulance billing and EMS records based on patient information or ambulance information. It took Radomski just eight hours of work to build and launch the service.

Residents can access these services, as well as new services that are introduced in the future, easily through the County’s website. With integrated digital communications, Clay County has increased its subscriber base, deepening its relationship with its residents.