Selwyn looks to digitize files

Selwyn Township is a step closer to digitizing its paper files after receiving $113,750 from the provincial government’s Municipal Modernization Program.

The funding will be used to digitize property documents, along with building, planning and infrastructure files, in a bid to boost efficiency while saving time, money and space.

“Digitizing these records would allow for more efficient and shared access to records, as well as eliminating the need for storage areas that could be converted to workstations,” states a news release from the township.

The Selwyn Township Municipal Office alone is home to an estimated 12,000 individual paper files.

Funding for the project comes from the province’s second intake of its Municipal Modernization Program. The province is providing up to $537,888 in funding for six modernization projects across Peterborough County.

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith announced funding for the six projects in Peterborough County on June 30.

The provincial dollars will help municipalities “find efficiencies and implement a wide range of initiatives to digitize, streamline, and/or integrate programs and services with neighbouring communities,”.

Other projects in Peterborough County being funded through the second round include:

• Peterborough Paramedic Service modernization.

• Peterborough County and three townships: joint service delivery process and software review.

• Cavan Monaghan Township: information technologies modernization.

• North Kawartha Township: information technology services modernization.

• Asphodel-Norwood Township: administration software and process review.