Case Study: City of Ithaca achieves faster, paperless permitting and instant public records access with Laserfiche

How the City of Ithaca Transformed the Permitting Process

The City of Ithaca, NY, serving about 30,000 residents plus a large student population, faced overcrowded, insecure physical storage, slow and labor‑intensive document retrieval, occasional missing files, and a paper‑based permitting process that forced applicants to visit City Hall and staff to manually route applications. Public access to records was limited and searches depended on institutional knowledge and time‑consuming staff involvement.

Ithaca implemented Laserfiche — scanning records into a searchable repository, publishing approved documents via a WebLink public portal, and automating permitting with Laserfiche Forms and Workflow (a three‑phase online application and routing system). The result: 24/7 self‑service access for citizens, faster and more accurate permit processing, fewer in‑person meetings, reduced storage and printing costs, better record security and retention, and more efficient use of staff time.

City of Ithaca

Julie Holcomb

City Clerk