IBTS and The City of Guymon, OK Launch Public-Nonprofit Partnership
Guymon, OK (PRWEB) March 29, 2016 -- Services of the City of Guymon’s Administrative, Community Development, Public Works, Utilities, Parks and Recreation, and Library Departments officially transitioned on March 1, 2016, into a public-nonprofit partnership. This partnership is the first of its kind in the state of Oklahoma.
Preparations for the transition began after an agreement was signed in November 2015, through the City of Guymon and IBTS Community Services, LLC (IBTS-CS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), a 501(c)(3) organization.
The Building Department hosted local contractors at the Guymon Public Library and Arts Center on Wednesday, March 2, to provide answers to contractors’ questions about how their interactions with the City would change. The message communicated to contractors was that the Building Department and contractors will be active partners in an effort to support contractors while also minimizing risk.
During the contractor meeting, training opportunities were introduced as well. IBTS-CS will provide training classes in support of the contractors’ needs. Training will be developed to meet specific trade type needs as well as state requirements. Contractors were also introduced to the GOVmotus software being implemented to streamline licensure, permitting, and inspection processes.
“We want to make the process more efficient for everyone and we want input from the contractors in order to make that happen. This isn’t the only meeting like this we will have. We are going to have meetings for individual fields as well,” Building Inspector Brock Scroggin said at the conclusion of the meeting.
The week started with an orientation for employees, where HR, Technology, Communications, and Financial procedures were outlined. The orientation took place after business hours to ensure citizen service delivery was not affected. Additional meetings are planned to continue orienting employees to IBTS-CS procedures.
“Just because you’re employees of IBTS-CS doesn’t mean we’re not still family,” City Manager Kimberly Meek said to employees. “We are making history here.”
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The City of Guymon, OK is the largest city in the strip of land known as the Panhandle of Oklahoma. The City is a melting pot of culture featuring arts, festivals, and hospitality. Guymon is home to national and state recognized events, including: Guymon Pioneer Days and PRCA Hall of Fame Rodeo, The Five State Motorcycle Run and Motorcycle Rodeo, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) BlueDef Velocity Tour Event, Azuma African Celebration, and Guymon Fiesta Day. Other places to visit include No Man's Land Museum, All Fired Up Arts Center, Historic Downtown Main Street, Guymon Community Theatre, Corral Drive-In Theatre, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Black Mesa including Dinosaur Tracks, and Tri-State Marker.
IBTS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping communities through quality services that reduce risk, enhance public safety, and improve quality of life. IBTS is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia with branch offices across the country. IBTS’s work is guided by a Board of Directors made up of government officials appointed by five of the most highly respected, grassroots, state and local governmental associations, including the Council of State Governments (CSG), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), and National League of Cities (NLC).
Michelle Waddle, Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), http://www.ibts.org, +1 (703) 481-2000 Ext: 115, [email protected]
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