The Town of North Hempstead switched the building department’s software program from Citizenserve to OpenGov on Wednesday, March 4.
The town paid $241,000 for the “initial conversion, installation, and migration of all data” for the new cloud-based software and will pay $10,000 for annual maintenance.
Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena touted the new program’s ease of use for residents and developers as she announced the launch with Long Island Builders Institute CEO Michael Florio and Association for a Better Long Island Executive Director Kyle Strober.
“OpenGov is fulfilling our administration’s promise to our neighbors, which is that we are going to govern differently, more collaboratively, and more efficiently,” DeSena said.
The town’s building department has long faced criticism for its permitting software, with an audit by the Nassau County Comptroller’s office in 2024 finding significant problems with the implementation of Citizenserve.
North Hempstead now joins the Town of Hempstead, the Town of Huntington, and the Town of Babylon in using OpenGov.
Town officials said training for building staff on the OpenGov software is ongoing.
“Over the last few years, Citizenserve has proven to be inefficient and inaccessible, creating a digital barrier between our building department and the general public,” DeSena said. “It’s been a headache for town employees and for residents.”
“It’s something that we’ve long advocated for,” Florio said about the adoption of OpenGov.
Florio and Strober said the biggest complaint they hear from developers and businesses is the lack of transparency for the permitting process.
“With this OpenGov system, you can track [permits]. You can see it move in real time,” Florio said.
“Some of our biggest gripes are not knowing where their application is and how long it takes,” Strober added.
“Technology is critical infrastructure to make government work efficiently,” he said. “If you want a new bathroom, it shouldn’t take six months for a building permit.”
Republican Council Members Dennis Walsh and Edward Scott were also present at the launch.
Democratic Council Member Mariann Dalimonte said Democrats on the town board who voted against the OpenGov contract were not invited.
Dalimonte said she was concerned about the cost of transitioning to a new system after it had recently moved to Citizenserve in 2020.
The town also held a demonstration inside the building department where an employee showed the new system’s ease of use as she filled out a mock permit application.
DeSena said she was happy to follow through on her campaign promise to modernize operations at the building department.
