Not yet four months into his new role as East Hampton Town Clerk, Michael Hansen has made some changes to make good on a campaign promise to modernize and increase efficiency in the town clerk’s office.
Town residents, for example, can now go online to ehamptonny.gov/1991/Resident-Beach-Parking-Permit and apply for beach parking and beach driving permits.
“It’s an encrypted and secure form,” Mr. Hansen, who previously owned a technology consultancy specializing in website development and database management, said in a phone call last week. “You put in your name and address, take a photo of your car registration, and submit the application. The clerk’s office receives it, processes it, and when the sticker is ready, we email the resident and tell them to come pick it up. They can go right to the front of the line and pick it up. No waiting.”
In the past, residents had to print out a PDF file, fill it out manually, and bring the paper to the office.
Resident permits expire on the 31st of December in years ending in an 0 or a 5. Mr. Hansen said that creates a bottleneck effect that he hopes to fix eventually, perhaps by staggering expirations.
As of last weekend, his office has already processed 125 applications online. “Other municipalities have had this option for some time. We’re catching up,” he said.
Similarly, he plans to put recycling permits online, with an option to pay by credit card. “There is no timeline for that, but I’m 100 percent confident it’s coming and that we can make it happen.”
There’s more to come, Mr. Hansen said, including processing contractor licenses online. He has also created online versions of applications for music permits, the fire alarm registry, and the Freedom of Information Law form.
