At SAFEbuilt, we partner with communities across the country that are working tirelessly to keep up with growth, address housing challenges, improve infrastructure, and meet the expectations of residents and developers alike. In my role, I’ve seen firsthand how stretched community development departments have become—and how a strategic shift to shared services is no longer just a cost-saving tactic. It’s the future.
Why? Because modern community development is no longer just about having people in chairs. It’s about capacity and capabilities.
Capacity: Access to Talent, When and Where It’s Needed
Most municipalities face the same challenges: a tight labor market, retiring building officials, and seasonal swings in demand. That makes it nearly impossible to staff efficiently without overextending budgets or overworking teams.
Shared services give communities on-demand access to a broader pool of experienced professionals—from inspectors and plan reviewers to zoning experts and floodplain managers. Instead of trying to hire for every skill in-house, cities can tap into a scalable network of experts that flexes with their workload. That means inspections don’t get delayed, plan reviews stay on schedule, and growth doesn’t stall due to staffing gaps.
Capabilities: The Right Talent for the Right Task
Equally important is the idea of capabilities—not just having enough people but having the right people for the complexity and specialization that modern community development requires.
Need a commercial plans examiner with experience in energy code compliance? A certified floodplain manager for a redevelopment review? A permit tech to clean up application backlogs? With a shared services model, you can pull from a deep bench of professionals with specialized certifications and up-to-date training. That means better outcomes for your community—and fewer errors, delays, or rework.
Empowering Communities with Technology
Shared services work best when paired with smart technology. That’s why we’ve built CommunityCore, SAFEbuilt’s proprietary permitting and workflow platform, to give municipalities what they’ve always needed: visibility, efficiency, and speed.
CommunityCore moves the permitting process into the cloud—getting your city outside the four walls of the city hall. Residents and developers can submit, track, and pay for permits online, saving time and reducing in-person friction. City staff get a real-time view into every project, so they know what’s happening, what’s next, and what’s holding things up.
And for municipalities, faster permitting means faster speed to revenue—a critical advantage when your tax base depends on timely development. When inspections and reviews flow seamlessly, projects start sooner, jobs are created faster, and communities grow stronger.
A Model Built for Today’s Demands
Community development departments are being asked to do more than ever before—with less. Shared services give you the agility, specialization, and technological infrastructure to meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s demands.
At SAFEbuilt, we don’t just provide services—we become an extension of your team. Our model is built to help you build better communities: faster, smarter, and with confidence.
If you’re thinking about how to future-proof your operations, it’s time to think beyond the traditional model. The future of community development is shared.