July 26, 2022 ~ After months of building, and beta-testing with staff, Pico Rivera has launched its new and redesigned website; the site will serve as a Virtual City Hall, bringing all city services to residents through a website and mobile app.
The site will enable residents to communicate and conduct city business from the comfort of their own homes.
The site is in Phase 1, where several key services will be made available such as Geographic Information System story mapping, Contract Bidding Portal, City Jobs Portal, Virtual 311 Service Request and Work Order Management System, Code and Parking Enforcement Case Management System, and a City Council Meeting & Agenda Center, with translation to multiple languages.
“This is truly exciting for all of us as we develop this new method of communication and accessibility for our residents,” said City Manager Steve Carmona. “Our staff have been working and developing Virtual City Hall and I believe our residents will appreciate our efforts in becoming more accessible and more transparent with the modules that Virtual City Hall will eventually offer.”
With the new Virtual City Hall website and app available to residents, City Staff will be working on developing and implementing more modules in Phase 2 of the project.
Future modules include a Central Bill Pay Management Portal, Citywide Events Calendar, Rental Registry and Inspection Program, Municipal Permits and Licensing, Digital Plan Checking, Business License Management, Crime and Safety Data Dashboard, Legislative Tracking Tools, Parks and Recreation Registration and Reservations, and more.
With more virtual access, Virtual City Hall will increase transparency allowing the public to track progress on capital infrastructure projects, road maintenance and other citywide performance metrics.
Finally, the new Virtual Hall System will improve the internal and external user experience by consolidating several current programs and software systems into a more user-friendly system where individual residents, businesses, visitors, and stakeholders can view, track and manage nearly every city-related transaction from a single, easy-to-use portal.
“We are embracing technology here in the City. If there is any way we can use it to benefit our residents and make conducting City business easier, we will to its full extent,” said Carmona.
Visit the new Virtual City Hall at pico-rivera.org, and download the Virtual City Hall app, available on both Apple and Android platforms.