Last fall, Oracle attended the American Association of Code Enforcement Conference (AACE) in Orlando, Florida. This three-day summit in the Sunshine State brought Code Enforcement professionals from all across the United States together to network and learn from each other, as the landscape of Code Enforcement is constantly evolving.
Not only was this a great opportunity for Code Enforcement professionals to broaden their knowledge and learn from their peers, it was also incredibly beneficial for the Oracle team to be on-site to hear first-hand from the AACE members about their day-to-day challenges, what is on the horizon in the Code Enforcement community, and how Oracle can help overcome these hurdles as a trusted partner.
Much like many other aspects of the Regulatory space, there are numerous factors that can alter both the short-term and long-term operations of a Code Enforcement team. Throughout the course of the conference, Oracle was able to compile several common themes surrounding the ongoing challenges that Code Enforcement professionals are currently facing.
Code Enforcement is evolving
While Enforcement professionals are commonly tasked to stay up to date with Code or Ordinance changes, these teams are now being tasked with more and more responsibilities that are often outside of the normal scope of the traditional Code Enforcement duties. With these new challenges, the need to become more flexible is more prevalent now than ever before. Pen and paper is no longer a viable option. Agencies need a digital solution that centralizes data and provides that level of required flexibility but is also incredibly scalable to grow along with the agency as they continue to expand services.
Tight budgets aren’t loosening anytime soon
Since the pandemic, budgets have been slashed across the country by just about every government agency. The hope was that this would be a temporary measure to tread water through uncertain times. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The need for services hasn’t dwindled. In fact, it’s only grown larger. With additional responsibilities, staffing shortages, and slashed budgetary funds, Code Enforcement departments have to adapt. The need for a cloud-based application has become a must-have as it can provide functionality to support mobile operations, workload management, intuitive scheduling, and analytics for performance tracking.
Collaborative Solutions
Throughout the conference, we heard about the many problems and challenges that agencies are facing. A lot of them were very similar in nature, while others were unique. One thing that was a common theme throughout the event was that everyone was more than willing, if not excited, to collaborate to explore potential solutions. There were several occasions in which representatives from several different agencies were huddled around the Oracle booth as we all discussed avenues of advancement for the present and future.
How Oracle can help
The need for a purpose-built, cloud-based solution is higher than it has ever been for Code Enforcement professionals. With Oracle Permitting and Licensing, the Code Enforcement community has a solution that checks all of the boxes to solve the current issues they are facing but also provides an opportunity to grow and expand services without concern that the software solution can keep pace. With Oracle’s investment in product development every year, Oracle Permitting and Licensing will continue to be at the forefront of providing tangible and valuable solutions to our customers. The Code Enforcement community shouldn’t be and will not be on their own to tackle these challenges. They need a partner that genuinely cares and invests in their success. Oracle Permitting and Licensing is proud to be that partner.