Civic Innovators Podcasts
Modern by Design: How Mesa’s Paperless Transformation Future-Proofed City Services
What does it take to go fully paperless overnight? In 2017, Mesa, Arizona eliminated paper from permitting, planning, and licensing entirely. No phased rollout. No fallback. Just a full commitment to digital transformation. In this episode, Heather Bassford, Development Services, and Samuel Small, Senior Software Engineer, from the City of Mesa join Accela CEO Noam Reininger and eRepublic’s Joe Morris to share how they pulled it off, and what they’d tell every other agency still on the fence. If your agency is weighing a big digital move and wondering how to manage the change, this episode is for you.
The Cleveland ERA: A Playbook for Transparent, Customer‑First Permitting
On this episode of Civic Innovators, we spotlight how Kimberly Roy Wilson and Sally Martin O’Toole are transforming Cleveland’s permitting process by leveraging Accela’s cloud platform, electronic plan review, and real-time data dashboards. They share how Cleveland is tackling the complexity of processing nearly $2 billion in construction permits a year, eliminating paper-based workflows across 16 departments, and using KPI dashboards to drive daily accountability, all in service of Mayor Justin Bibb’s vision of a city that moves at the speed of business.
When Disaster Strikes: How Butte County Uses Accela to Rebuild and Recover
On this episode of Civic Innovators, we spotlight how Patrick Miner and Butte County are redefining disaster recovery and community resilience by leveraging Accela’s scalability and automation. Patrick shares his firsthand experience rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires, the challenges of operating with minimal resources, and how technology enables small teams to deliver big results for their communities.
From 50 Days to 6.5: The Develop 901 Story of Modernizing Development Services
On this episode of Civic Innovators, we spotlight how Memphis/Shelby County’s Develop901 initiative is transforming development management, connecting departments, and driving efficiency through Accela. Nidia Logan-Robinson shares the story of building a common platform, fostering partnerships, and making it easier to do business in the region.
From 90 Days to Next-Level Service: Citrus County's Customer-Centric Permitting Transformation
In this episode, hosts Noam Reininger, CEO of Accela, and Joe Morris, Chief Innovation Officer at Government Technology, sit down with Eric Landon, Growth Management Director for Citrus County, Florida, to unpack how Citrus County transformed their permitting operation—processing 20,000 permits and 80,000 inspections annually—into a customer-centric model that launched with barely a complaint.
Governance in Action: How San Diego’s IT-Business Partnership Drives Civic Success
In this episode, we will spotlight how the City of San Diego built a successful IT-business partnership to deliver effective technology solutions. Elyse Lowe and Jonathan Behnke join us to discuss how collaboration, shared leadership, and strategic alignment are driving better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Rewriting the Rules: Inside Merced County’s Permitting Overhaul
In this episode of Civic Innovators, we sit down with Nicole Ubbink, Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development for Merced County, California, to explore how the county achieved a 72% improvement in permits processed within just 90 days of launching a new digital platform. Merced County recently unified its entire permitting and land management operations—moving to 100% online submittals and payments, streamlining internal workflows, and breaking down departmental silos that had existed for years. This transformation didn’t just modernize operations—it reshaped how staff work, how citizens engage, and how departments collaborate.
Building Efficiency: How Tampa & Lennar Homes Cut Plan Review Times by 30%
Cities and builders are collaborating to streamline complex processes, reduce delays, and meet the challenges of modern development head-on. In this episode, join Accela CEO Noam Reininger and eRepublic President Dustin Haisler as they speak with JC Hudgison, Chief Building Official at the City of Tampa, and Chris Smith, Vice President of Forward Planning at Lennar Homes, about their groundbreaking partnership that has reduced permit review times by 30% and created a scalable model for urban development.
Unified for Impact: How Clark County Modernized Government Services at Scale
Discover how Clark County CIO Bob Leek is transforming government services through strategic vision, platform integration, and a $40M investment in modernization. Learn how Accela helps scale civic innovation to meet the demands of one of the nation’s largest counties-and how any agency can follow the same path to success.
Where civic challenges meet bold solutions
Civic Innovators is Accela’s bold new podcast series spotlighting real-world government transformation, all through the lens of a single high-impact question. We explore how one courageous decision or innovative shift helped public agencies solve major challenges, improve operations, or better serve their communities.
Each episode features:
- A powerful question that drives the conversation – focused on real outcomes, not just process
- A candid conversation between Accela CEO, Noam Reininger, e.Republic Chief Innovation Officer, Joe Morris, and a guest government innovator
- Firsthand stories from state and local government leaders and IT innovators
- Tangible insights and takeaways to inspire action in your own agency
One question. One episode. One real transformation.
Explore real government change on the Civic Innovators Podcast.
A fresh take on civic innovation, created for and by public sector professionals.
WITH
Accela
e.Republic
