Cumberland County is announcing the launch of Citizen Connect, a new digital platform that empowers residents to access real-time information on community development, public safety, and environmental health activities.

Citizen Connect is the latest innovation under the County’s CumberlandONE - Our Neighbor Experience - initiative, which is focused on improving access to public services, enhancing civic engagement and modernizing service delivery. The platform offers residents a centralized, interactive view of permits, inspections, planning activities and code enforcement cases from departments across the County, including Planning & Inspections, Environmental Health, Emergency Services and more.

“This tool reflects our commitment to open government and proactive communication,” said , Planning and Inspections Director Rawls Howard in a press release. “Citizen Connect allows residents to stay informed about development and planning activities in their neighborhoods.”

Citizen Connect includes:

• Interactive Development Map: Explore planning cases, permit activity, inspection results, and code enforcement status by type, location or timeline.
• Personalized Alerts: Subscribe to updates by case type or address and receive email notifications when new information becomes available.
• Heat Maps and Trends: Visualize community growth and development patterns over time.
• Mobile-Responsive Design: Access the platform from any device, including smartphones, tablets and desktops.
• Open Data Access: Retrieve records with ease.

“Public health and safety are deeply interconnected,” said Environmental Health Director Daniel Ortiz in a press release. “Citizen Connect ensures residents have quick access to timely information that affects their daily lives.”

In addition to planning and environmental health data, the platform provides visibility into key public safety activities coordinated by Cumberland County Emergency Services.

“Citizen Connect is a valuable resource for our community to learn more about fire safety, code enforcement and emergency response,” said Cumberland County Fire Marshal Kevin Lowther in a press release. “We are pleased to provide another tool to strengthen communication between residents and our office.”

Citizen Connect is powered by data from the County’s Enterprise Permitting and Licensing (EPL) system, known as Energov. The platform was developed through a cross-departmental collaboration and led by Cumberland County’s Innovation and Technology Services (ITS) Department.

“This launch represents another milestone in our digital transformation journey,” said Interim Innovation and Technology Services Director Daniel Rister in the release. “Citizen Connect is designed to make government services more transparent, accessible, and aligned with the needs of our residents.”

To explore Citizen Connect, visit https://cumberlandcounty-nc-cc.connect.socrata.com.

About CumberlandONE – Our Neighbor Experience

CumberlandONE is Cumberland County Government’s comprehensive digital transformation initiative, focused on improving the way residents access and engage with public services. The initiative promotes transparency, equity, and efficiency by leveraging technology to deliver neighbor-focused solutions.

To learn more about CumberlandONE - Our Neighbor Experience, visit bit.ly/cumberlandone.