Applicants continue to have the authority to apply to the Commissioner but most cases are now resolved before reaching that level. The Department has updated and renegotiated a cooperative agreement with the City of Burlington. These types of agreements allow interested cities to enforce codes and standards on the state's behalf. Burlington will continue conducting its own fire, building, electrical and plumbing inspections. We signed an additional agreement with Winooski and continue to make this option available to interested municipalities.
Dynamic interaction is an important part of working with regulated communities.
And we continue to concentrate our efforts on improving communication with the public and within the Department. We have completely upgraded our Department computer system. All staff members have received personal computers to replace the dumb terminals formerly used. We are improving our networking capabilities and our ability to interact with all members of the public. The Labor and Industry website now offers more information than ever before.