Designating improvements in critical business functions as essential elements of spurring economic prosperity, McAllen, Texas has launched Accela Automation® from Accela, Inc. to manage and track its development, permit, and code compliance processes and improve customer service.

The Building Inspections department will utilize the Web-based solution for all its permitting activities; its Planning, Engineering, Utilities, Fire, and Health departments will use it to manage all plan reviews and inspections required for building permits. Approximately 70 users will have online access to the system's centralized database of land-use information.

"As one of the fastest growing cities in the country over the last decade, McAllen must have the infrastructure in place to keep pace with the needs of our citizens and development community," said Belinda Mercado, IT director. "They drive our city's economy, and Accela Automation provides the technology we need to support them with better, easier, and faster services."

McAllen also launched Accela Wireless™, Accela's mobile solution, to allow inspections, code enforcement, work orders, and service requests to be performed in real time from the field, further streamlining processes and enabling faster customer response times. Optimized for Intel Centrino® Mobile Technology, Accela Wireless is compatible with PDAs, laptops, and Tablet PCs running on the Microsoft Pocket PC 2003, Windows Mobile 5, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating systems.

The city plans to launch additional Accela solutions in the coming year to facilitate self-service options for citizens and integrate geographical information services (GIS).

"We congratulate McAllen for its insight in recognizing the benefits of Web-based technology in making its business functions more citizen-focused," said Maury Blackman, Accela's president and CEO. "The correlation between accessible, efficient government services and economic vitality can't be overestimated, and we look forward to continuing to work with the city to meet its goals."

About McAllen

McAllen is located on the very southern tip of Texas just five miles from the U.S./Mexico border, which is defined by the Rio Grande River. Home to more than 137,000 residents, McAllen was recently ranked by Forbes.com as one of the top 10 cities in the U.S. projected to have the highest job growth rate this year. For more information, please visit www.mcallen.net.

About Accela

Accela provides innovative, Web-based enterprise software solutions that automate land, permit, and asset management processes for local, state, and federal government agencies of all sizes. Backed by nearly 30 years of development, and implementation in more than 500 agencies in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, Accela products and services empower agencies to increase efficiencies, reduce workload, and provide citizens and businesses with more convenient access to government services. Accela is located in San Ramon, Calif. Accela products can be purchased directly from the GSA Schedule Contract #GS-35F-0249R. For more information, please visit www.accela.com.