Town of Brookhaven, NY Embraces Digital Transformation Through Partnership with CivicPlus® Integrated Digital Solutions

A Legacy of Growth and Innovation

Spanning from the North to South Shores of Long Island, the Town of Brookhaven, New York, is one of the nation’s largest municipalities—home to nearly 500,000 residents, historic landmarks, pristine beaches, and vibrant communities. Rooted in over 300 years of history, Brookhaven continues to balance its natural beauty and small-town character with a forward-thinking commitment to innovation, technology, and public service.

By the early 2000s, Brookhaven had emerged as a regional leader in communications, education, and research, housing both Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. However, with population growth came increased demand for efficient, transparent, and accessible digital services. The Town recognized the need for an integrated, secure platform to streamline operations, empower staff, and enhance resident engagement.

A Modern, Accessible Website for Every Resident

“Our old website was antiquated in its look and navigation,” recalls Matt Sabatello, Website Specialist and IT Liaison to the Supervisor for Brookhaven. “It was hard to manage, very manual, and not user-friendly.”

With the help of ADA and Community Development Block Grant funds, Brookhaven sought a partner that could modernize its online presence while meeting strict accessibility and compliance requirements. After evaluating multiple vendors, the Town selected CivicPlus® Municipal Websites for its ease of use, integrated accessibility tools, and secure cloud infrastructure.

The new website transformed internal workflows and resident engagement by automating updates, supporting ADA compliance, and empowering staff to keep content current. “Our previous system was not compliant, and that is crucial as we continue to watch our community evolve to be more diverse and inclusive,” Sabatello notes. “At a high level, the ease of use, accessibility, standardization, and cybersecurity were the biggest benefits.”

Award-Winning Innovation: Brookhaven’s Virtual Parking Permit System

Building on its website success, the Town of Brookhaven expanded its partnership with CivicPlus by adopting Process Automation and Digital Services to eliminate paper-heavy workflows, streamline approvals, and provide residents with 24/7 access to services.

In 2024, Brookhaven’s digital transformation reached a milestone with the launch of a fully automated online parking permit system.

That first project—digitizing the Town’s parking permit process—proved transformative, replacing paper applications and in-person visits with a digital, license plate–based experience. Key integrations verify eligibility through the New York State DMV PREED (Parking Regulation Electronic Enforcement and Disposition System) integration, confirm residency via GIS data, and enable real-time enforcement through Smart Parking software.

The results have been significant: 60,000 permits were issued across 40,000 transactions, with $1.07 million in revenue generated, and over 1,000 staff hours saved. Residents benefit from equitable, tiered pricing, instant activation, and an ADA-aligned, mobile-responsive platform—making it easier than ever to access local amenities.

Departments across Brookhaven soon followed. The Assessor’s Office now offers online appointment scheduling, Parks and Recreation manages marina and seasonal permits digitally, and the Town Clerk and Finance teams use integrated payment solutions and automated workflows to simplify licensing and approvals.

Expanding the CivicPlus Ecosystem

With their previous website vendor, Sabatello and his team had to be extremely hands on, but all of that changed. “I would say my job transformed after bringing on CivicPlus. Managing the website is probably 1% of what we do now. I can focus more on larger projects and have time to plan long-term goals. It’s nice,” Sabatello observes.

In addition, having a variety of solutions with CivicPlus has its advantages. “We couldn’t do what we do if the solutions were separate systems. It allows us to easily manage our work, collaborate with other departments, and do more. If these were all separate vendors, you would have different training, support, and user interfaces,” Sabatello explains. “With everything under the one CivicPlus umbrella, we can do twice as much with the same team.”

For example, if the Town Clerk’s Office wants to make a change, they can login to the website solution, make an edit, and submit it. Then, the web department will get it, approve it, and it goes right on the website through the integrated system.

An Integrated Agenda and Meeting Management Solution

Around the same time the Town implemented Process Automation and Digital Services, it also switched to CivicPlus Agenda and Meeting Management.

Brookhaven’s previous vendor announced plans on sunsetting their current solution, causing the team to reevaluate their options.

The Town and its growing staff have noticed a vast improvement since implementing the solution. Sabatello says, “It’s multifaceted, and it’s extremely easy for us to manage the product. We have a lot of approvers and people in the system, and it’s very rare we hear from them. We have our town board, planning board, zoning board, as well as finance putting in financial impacts, and purchasing putting in contracts and bids. We don’t have to get involved. The agendas get created, they get published to our website, the public can access it all and watch the videos live or on-demand.”

Having a product that is reliable and works as intended is a big deal, says Sabatello. “From a technical support standpoint, it’s huge because it allows us to focus on other projects, versus with our previous solution we were on a regular basis spending hours a week on support calls. With Agenda and Meeting Management, it is very rare that we need support. It just works, and that’s why we love it.”

The Town of Brookhaven Team has since joined the Customer Advisory Board (CAB) for Agenda and Meeting Management, which gives customers a forum for feedback and roadmap planning. “It has been helpful, and a lot of the things we’ve been able to bring to the CAB have been implemented over the last year and a half. Additionally, collaboration with other Agenda and Meeting Management customers allows us to think outside the box beyond what our current process is,” says Sabatello.

Reducing Seasonal Workload with CivicPlus Parks and Recreation

Additionally, the Town’s CivicPlus Recreation Management implementation has transformed how Brookhaven handles peak tourism months. The Town has a healthy tourism industry, with people coming in from around the country to shop, eat, and check out the scenery during the summer. With the influx of summer travelers, the Brookhaven Parks and Recreation Department was challenged every year by the seasonal workload increase.

“I could tell you in Parks alone, the town council would approve a few temporary aides to help them stuff envelopes and call people from various departments because there was so much work every summer,” Sabatello explained.

The software’s automation eliminated the need for those temporary aides who manually managed paperwork during the summer.

The Future of Brookhaven’s Digital Government

Brookhaven’s partnership with CivicPlus continues to evolve toward a resident-first civic experience. The Town’s integrated ecosystem of modern, digital solutions has reduced administrative overhead, improved accessibility, and deepened trust between residents and government.

From its beaches and marinas to its digital dashboards and permit portals, Brookhaven demonstrates what’s possible when tradition meets transformation—showcasing a model for scalable, equitable, and efficient local government service delivery. The success the Town has experienced through its commitment to digital transformation has made a tangible impact on the community, with funds directly supporting the maintenance and safety of Town facilities.

The future is full of opportunities, especially now that its staff has more time to dream big and focus on providing the best possible services to their residents.