Once upon a time, Swatara Township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was drowning in paper. Each week ordinances, resolutions, reports, permits, deeds, contracts and correspondence entered the Township offices for handling in a time-consuming system of copying, filing and distributing. Retrieving information from those thousands of pieces of paper largely depended on the memory of individuals, often Karen Alleman, Township Administrative Assistant, or Richard Bazdar, Director of Code Enforcement. They had to try to remember which month, year or even what time of year an item was first discussed. According to Karen, it was a challenge to remember some bit of information about a request, and then search through boxes and file cabinets. "You would hope something clicked," says Richard, "to help you find the right piece of information."

Paul Cornell, Township Administrator, recognized the problem and had the foresight to note the trend away from paper and toward electronic storage of documents. He approached the

Karen Alleman, Township Administrative Assistant

Board of Commissioners to budget for a Total Document Management solution from General Code, including a Laserfiche® document management system and a revamped Township Code.

Karen and Dick have a new mantra: "Laserfiche is our friend." Documents that once were filed in multiple places are now scanned into Laserfiche, which can be accessed from individual PC's in each department. "General Code is helping to turn us into a paperless Township," notes Karen. Board minutes are scanned as soon as they're complete, making paper copies obsolete. Newly adopted ordinances, which used to include an original file copy, plus nine copies for reference, are now easily and immediately accessible in Laserfiche. Each week, Commissioners receive a packet, including the week's correspondence and other reports, which Karen assembles electronically and e-mails as an attachment to each Commissioner.

The Code Enforcement Office was buried in similar amounts of paper, including deeds, permits, and Planning Commission agendas and minutes, which are now stored in Laserfiche. In the future, Planning Commission correspondence will be included, and Laserfiche will be used to help the Township comply with recordkeeping requirements of the state's Uniform Construction Code. Ultimately, the goal is that all property files reside in Laserfiche, integrated with base maps of the county so that individual parcels can be highlighted, and all information regarding that property, including deeds and permits, can be instantly accessed.

The Township is also looking forward to having its codified legislation easily accessible in a readable, fully searchable format. Karen already appreciates the searching ease of Laserfiche, and Dick agrees that the search capabilities of the electronic Code are key. His office often searches page by page for answers to questions, then copies and faxes pages to individuals. Soon, he can simply direct constituents to the Township Web site, where the Code will be accessible.

Swatara Township envisions a long future of use from its total document management solutions. Eventually, the Police Department will become part of the system. Dick Bazdar is confident that more departments will benefit from the system as they realize how easy it is to use and how much needed information is stored there. "We're building a fan club," he says. A PC will be available in the Township offices so that residents can easily access information stored in Laserfiche. All correspondence from citizens will be scanned for accessibility.

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