With CivicPlus®, the Township of South Orange Village, New Jersey, Offers Residents Easy Online Access to its Code of Ordinances

South Orange Village, New Jersey, needed to find a better method of drafting resolutions. Its leaders also wanted a more accessible and efficient way for residents to access their code online. The Village’s old method for codification was a long and daunting process. This inefficiency left some sections of code outdated. The biggest change the Township wanted to implement was increasing transparency for its residents by providing an intuitive online platform for their code.

South Orange partnered with CivicPlus (formerly Municode) to implement its Self-Publishing Software. Now, drafting codes is a breeze with a new modern and web-first approach. Staff can create new code from existing ordinances and download sections of code to your desktop for later retrieval.

Once the clerk approves an ordinance, the code is effortlessly uploaded to the online platform. The ease of use of this software ensures South Orange Village’s code is always up-to-date and cuts down on the time it takes to codify. Residents can see this code in an easy-to-navigate platform with features such as search, text font size selector, and a table of contents.

A benefit to both residents and staff lies within the solution’s detailed legislative history. Both entities can see what their code looked like at any given point in time, providing a complete view of their local government’s legislation.