Logo courtesy of Yuba City

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) – Yuba City approved an agreement last week to share Sutter County's Geographic Information System, giving city employees access to current property ownership records, parcel maps and other geographic data without the expense of developing and maintaining a separate mapping system.

The City Council approved the agreement after Development Services Director Doug Libby said the city's growth has outpaced its ability to manage mapping technology through existing staff.

"The city has traditionally not had a person dedicated to manage and oversee a GIS system," Libby said. "Our IT manager has worked to fill this role as time and priorities allow. However, the city, as it has grown, has gotten to the point where the city needs to have a modern GIS system that is contemporary for our use today."

Sutter County already maintains a comprehensive GIS platform that includes parcel maps, property ownership records and other geographic information. Under the agreement, Yuba City will use the county's system while continuing to maintain its own mapping data rather than duplicating information already maintained by the county.

City employees will use the system to quickly access current property ownership records when processing building permits, assist customers with utility and business license questions, and support planning, public works and emergency response operations. The shared system also eliminates the need for the city to maintain a separate property ownership database.

Libby said the system will appear to employees as Yuba City's own GIS program, complete with city branding on maps and printed materials, while relying on Sutter County to host the data and maintain the software.

The agreement requires both agencies to protect confidential information and limits each agency's ability to modify the other's data. If the agreement is terminated, Sutter County will preserve Yuba City's GIS information and assist with transferring the data to another system if requested.

The city's first-year cost will be $25,219, including system setup, followed by annual costs of $17,019 during the next two fiscal years. City officials said the agreement will not affect the General Fund because the costs will be paid through Development Services fees collected with building permits.

The agreement also requires approval by the Sutter County Board of Supervisors before it takes effect.