BasicGov and Carahsoft Team to Deliver Government Permitting, Code Enforcement, and Licensing Solutions in the Cloud

Partnership provides government agencies with web-based solutions to improve government productivity, response, and service to citizens

February 17, 2010, Vancouver, BC - BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG.V) has partnered with Carahsoft Technology Corp. to market and sell its BasicGov suite of software to federal, state, and local government agencies through Carahsoft's General Services Administration (GSA) schedule.

BasicGov's web-based software improves productivity and response times by automating common activities for permits and inspections, business licensing, and code enforcement. BasicGov Permits and Inspections streamlines permit requests and scheduling of inspections. BasicGov Licensing simplifies license approvals and batch renewals. BasicGov Code Enforcement automates tasks related to code violations and inspections. Online, 24/7 access to all BasicGov modules is provided by BasicGov Citizen Portal.

"We are pleased to add BasicGov to our growing portfolio of cloud computing solutions for government," said Craig P. Abod, President, Carahsoft. "Every government agency – large or small – has valued staff dedicated to managing these daily activities. Whether it is a federal permit for a new wind farm, a license for a state contractor, or a neighborhood abandoned car complaint, BasicGov makes government more efficient in responding to customer requests."

"We expect Carahsoft to quickly put BasicGov in front of larger government agencies that we're not able to reach on our own," said David Roberts, President and CEO, BasicGov Systems. "Our Software as a Service model is ideal for government as it delivers functionality and reliability without the high costs or lengthy implementation of traditional software."

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers. www.basicgov.com

About Carahsoft
Carahsoft Technology Corp. is the trusted Government IT solutions provider, combining technological expertise with a thorough understanding of the government procurement process to help federal, state and local government agencies select and implement the best solution at the best possible value. As a top ranked GSA Schedule Contract holder, Carahsoft is the largest government partner and serves as the master government aggregator for many of its best-of-breed vendors. The company’s dedicated Solutions Divisions support proactive sales, marketing and delivery of Symantec, Storage Solutions, VMware, Adobe, Open Source, HR, HP Software, Intelligence, and SAP. Carahsoft is consistently recognized by its partners as a top revenue producer and is listed among the industry’s fastest growing firms by VAR Business, CRN, Inc., Washington Technology, and the Washington Business Journal. In 2009, Carahsoft was ranked among the top ten companies by total revenue on the Inc.500 list of privately held companies, and received the VAR Business Top Revenue Generator Award. www.carahsoft.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

Carahsoft Media contact: Mary Lange
mary.lange@carahsoft.com, 1.703.431.8485

White Paper and Blog Series: HB Lanarc White Paper Sponsored by BasicGov - How Local Governments are Benefitting from Sustainability and other Trends

White paper and blog series explores six major trends in municipal management including sustainable practices and key leadership opportunities in community development management

February 10, 2010, Vancouver, BC - BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG.V) has published a sponsored white paper for local governments produced by HB Lanarc, leaders in sustainable communities. The "Ahead of the Curve" white paper and related blog series explores municipal leadership challenges and opportunities, including a move to adopt sustainable practices while improving community development review and approvals. Case study overviews from communities in British Columbia, Canada and New Mexico, US are referenced.

White Paper download:"Ahead of the Curve – How Leading Local Governments are Benefitting from Sustainability and Other Trends".

Blog participation: In collaboration with the White Paper, BasicGov is hosting a blog series with author and sustainability planning expert, Peter Whitelaw, to invite discussions about "Ahead of the Curve" trends and leadership opportunities, at www.basicgov.com/blog.

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers. www.basicgov.com

About HB Lanarc
HB Lanarc Consultants Ltd. are planning and design consultants based in Vancouver British Columbia.  The firm is a North American leader in sustainable communities, with a strong track record on projects from community-wide plans to climate change planning, sustainable landscape design, and knowledge tools for sustainable development. www.hblanarc.ca

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

BasicGov Licensing Software Maximizes Local Government Revenues

Web-based software cuts government costs and improves service to citizens

January 12, 2010, Vancouver, BC - BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG.V) (formerly CloudBench Applications, Inc.) has launched BasicGov Licensing software to help local governments collect licensing revenues quickly, improve budgeting and manage cash flow. BasicGov Licensing lets local governments maximize revenue by automating licensing tasks related to businesses, contractors, animals and many other license types.

BasicGov Licensing adds to the BasicGov suite of web-based software solutions (City Planning, Permits & Inspections, Code Enforcement) and is hosted on SalesForce.com's cloud computing platform, Force.com. Online, anywhere, 24/7 citizen access is available through the BasicGov Citizen Portal, which integrates with all BasicGov modules and allows business owners and individuals to manage multiple license applications from home or office.

BasicGov Licensing streamlines license applications, registrations, payments, approvals, and renewals, with minimal effort by staff. New applications can be processed quickly and the time to process renewals is drastically reduced with BasicGov's high speed letter processor. All license information is stored online so approvals can be automated and consume less paper. Supervisors and public officials have access to centralized reporting to track operational results and staff productivity.

"Governments of all sizes are switching to web-based software to improve revenue generation and productivity while trimming IT budgets," said Michael Togyi, Vice President, Marketing and Sales. "With BasicGov Licensing, we now offer our clients a complete turnkey package that includes code enforcement, permits and inspections, and planning combined with on-line citizen access. Web-based solutions and the monthly subscription model are ideal for cost-conscious governments and BasicGov is the proven alternative to expensive enterprise systems."

BasicGov customer Nate Greenberg with Mono County said, "We're excited about the addition of BasicGov Licensing as it will integrate with all of our other data from planning, code enforcement, permits, and inspections on one common platform which will help our team to make better business decisions."

For more information about BasicGov Licensing go to www.basicgov.com/products/licensing

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers. www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

CloudBench Applications Inc., changes name to BasicGov Systems, Inc.

New name reflects success of BasicGov product line

January 4, 2010, Vancouver, BC - CloudBench Applications, Inc. announced today that the company name has changed to BasicGov Systems, Inc. This name change was effective as of Thursday December 24^th on the TSX Venture Exchange. The new symbol for the company is BSG.V. BasicGov has four web-based software modules for local governments that improve productivity in the areas of Planning, Permits and Inspections, Code Enforcement, and online Citizen Portal.

The Planning module manages all tasks connected with a city's planning process. The Permits and Inspections module simplifies and automates everyday tasks related to citizens and business owners permit requests and resulting inspections. The Code Enforcement module streamlines the process for managing citizen complaints and code violations.

Citizen Portal provides for online community development to expand citizen access and streamline permits and inspections, code enforcement and planning. With Citizen Portal property owners, building contractors and developers can apply for permits online, schedule inspections or check the status of applications 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

CloudBench Sets New Benchmark for Municipal Services in the Cloud

Salesforce.com customer success story: BasicGov web-based software solutions for local government profiled as Force.com innovator

November 19, 2009, Vancouver, BC - CloudBench Applications, Inc. (TSX-V: CBH), provider of BasicGov web-based software, profiles its journey from enterprise software to Software as a Service (SaaS) and Force.com innovator with customer success story published on Salesforce.com.

CloudBench Sets New Benchmark for Municipal Services in the Cloud

CloudBench, originally known as Municipal Solutions Group, was founded more than 25 years ago by local government employees who wanted to use new technologies to make it easier for small governments to provide community services. Quick to see the benefits of cloud computing, company managers refocused their efforts on building cloud-based solutions with Force.com to give customers greater efficiency, flexibility, and cost savings.

"Benching" on premise software
Municipal governments are often slow to adopt new technologies. In fact, many budget-constrained small governments have no IT departments and still use paper-based systems to run basic services like permitting. According to David Roberts, CloudBench CEO, "A medium size city with 30,000-40,000 residents might need to spend between 100,000 and 200,000 dollars for a capital license solution, plus an additional 20% annually for maintenance. There's also a cost for customization and professional services to get it up and running in the first place. This keeps on-premise solutions out of reach."
For these customers, subscription-based products are more attainable - they are predictable and typically don't require large up-front costs. Without IT staff, data security can also be a thorny issue for some small municipalities. Everyone knows security is important, but there may not be anyone on staff with the expertise to manage it. Implementation can be tricky too. Roberts explains, "The implementation times for enterprise software can take between 6 and 24 months. That's a long time and a lot of detail work for these customers."
After seeing the benefits of cloud computing, Roberts and team refocused their entire company around the cloud. Roberts says, "Many small municipalities have been left behind by advances in technology and are still managing services with pen and paper. With cloud computing we saw a way to give them something that is cost-effective, easy to implement, and easy and inexpensive to maintain. There's a compelling case for leap-frogging on premise solutions and going straight from paper to the cloud."

Trading .NET for Force.com
Municipal Solutions's on-premise products were built on .NET, and when the company moved to the cloud it stayed with the status quo. Three developers worked for six months to build the first BasicGov module using .NET. According to James Wikkerink, CloudBench developer, "It looked great on paper. But we did some prototyping and testing – and it simply wasn't releasable." It was at that point that the company first encountered salesforce.com and the Force.com platform. The difference was dramatic.
"With Force.com our team was able to have a prototype up and running after just a weekend," says Wikkerink. "It was pretty exciting. The hosting was taken care of. We didn't have to program in a GUI as much. We didn't need specialized staff that understood each separate piece of the dev effort. And, most importantly, it worked."
Roberts adds, "We could see right away that Force.com is a more elegant way to bring up an application if you already have the domain knowledge that we did. Having the whole platform and framework already available was a big advantage especially as we were just starting up. Also from a business standpoint we would be able to get it done quickly. There were a lot of built-in features that would be much more complicated to assemble if we did it piecemeal."

Rapid development and implementation times
Over the next two months, three developers worked with Visualforce and Apex to convert the prototype into a fully releasable Permits & Inspections solution. The entire effort was completed in two thirds less time than the team had spent on the .NET-based product which was never finished. Just one month after the Permits & Inspections module was code complete, the first customer was up and running.
According to Wikkerink, "We didn't have to build a reports tool because that came with Force.com. We used S-control functionality for our own configurable rules engine. Now we only have to configure what each unique customer would want. We were able to quickly focus on what our customers were asking for instead of worrying about the technical issues. We spent our time providing value for customers, instead of fighting with the technology."
CloudBench has subsequently launched two more BasicGov modules – Code Enforcement and Planning. Release cycles have grown shorter and shorter—the last module took two developers just one month to complete. Wikkerink adds, "I'm excited now about our next release as it will leverage more Apex to add intuitive functionality without compromising ease-of-use."
Force.com also simplifies implementation. According to Roberts, "We can focus on the essential elements. We don't customize for customers – we configure. As a result we can do a much faster implementation. What can take up to 24 months in an on-premise world takes us less than two."

Although there are several competing companies, Roberts feels that his company is well positioned for success. "We're the only Force.com-based offering in this space," he explains. "Our competitors can't boast the world class security that we can. Saying that our product is hosted by salesforce.com gives our customers peace of mind that the competition just can't match."

For full story go to http://www.basicgov.com/blog/2009/11/18/recognition-basicgov-salesforce-dreamforce-municipal-services

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

BasicGov Launches Citizen Portal to Expand Citizen Access to Local Government Services

Citizen Portal improves transparency, increases productivity, cuts costs

November 10, 2009, Vancouver, BC - CloudBench Applications, Inc. (TSX-V: CBH), provider of BasicGov web-based software, has launched its Citizen Portal for community development to expand citizen access and streamline permits and inspections, code enforcement and planning. With Citizen Portal, property owners, building contractors and developers can apply online, schedule inspections or check the status of applications 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Citizen Portal adds to the BasicGov suite of web-based solutions (Permits & Inspections, Code Enforcement, and Planning) that provide an integrated solution for community development.

Citizen Portal provides fast, transparent communication between citizens and their local community development department. Citizen Portal is a web-based solution that increases staff productivity since citizens can enter data and check the status of applications through their city's Citizen Portal website. Citizen Portal uses secure, cloud computing servers so government staff and citizens can access information from anywhere at any time.

BasicGov's Citizen Portal brings simplicity and efficiency to community development processes. For example, in the case of building permits:

• Contractors can go to city's Citizen Portal website to apply for permits, saving time and money for government, contractors, and citizens.
• Contractors can schedule building inspections through Citizen Portal.
• Contractors receive email notifications when permits have been approved and can print certificates by logging into Citizen Portal.

"Citizen Portal was built in partnership with BasicGov customers and it's a win-win solution for cities and their citizens. Citizens get instant feedback on their requests and city productivity is improved, saving local government money," said Michael Togyi, Vice President Marketing and Sales. "In addition, because BasicGov is delivered in a Software as a Service (SaaS) or cloud computing model, we can deploy faster and save even more money for local government."

In summary, Citizen Portal is for:

• Citizens to apply for permit or planning applications online.
• Citizens to file neighborhood complaints (code enforcement).
• City staff or citizens to check application status.
• City staff or citizens to publish documents.
• City Staff to notify citizens when to access and review their information online.

For Citizen Portal pricing, contact sales@basicgov.com.

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

CloudBench Applications Appoints New Vice President Marketing and Sales

VP to market BasicGov software to Local Governments across North America

October 28, 2009, Vancouver, BC - CloudBench Applications, Inc. (TSX-V: CBH) has appointed Michael Togyi as Vice President Marketing and Sales. Michael will lead the company's marketing and sales team, develop new business opportunities and ramp up growth of its BasicGov software for the municipality market.

Togyi has an extensive background in marketing and sales leadership in growth-stage companies and until joining CloudBench, he served nearly five years as VP Sales and Business Development for CityXpress Corporation, a Software as a Service (SaaS) company with customers in 11 different countries. Prior to that Togyi co-founded a company, Aquatic Informatics, to deliver environmental software to federal and local governments worldwide.

"We selected Michael Togyi as VP Marketing and Sales because of his leadership strengths and background in SaaS and government," stated David Roberts, President and CEO, CloudBench Applications. "With SaaS and cloud computing quickly getting traction in the government sector, there are numerous opportunities for our web-based BasicGov software so we need a strong VP like Michael to help us gain market share."

"I joined CloudBench Applications because of the market potential of its web-based software. BasicGov gives municipalities an affordable way to improve services to citizens and my challenge is to make BasicGov the gold standard for small and mid-size cities across North America," said Michael Togyi, Vice President Marketing and Sales, CloudBench Applications.

In addition to CityXpress Corporation and Aquatic Informatics Vice President positions, Togyi held senior leadership positions with Vector 12 Corporation and Circon Systems Corporation. Togyi has a Bachelor of Business Administration with Marketing and International Business concentrations from Simon Fraser University.

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

BasicGov Reveals the New Parcel Updater

"... loads parcels and contacts within minutes ..."

October 27, 2009, Vancouver, BC - BasicGov announces its latest software tool, the Parcel Updater, to help local governments and municipality's community planning departments.

The new Parcel Updater is designed to allow local governments to easily update parcel and owner information. It works with all BasicGov software products: Permits & Inspections, Code Enforcement, and Planning.

Parcel Updater is easy to use. Whenever municipalities receive a new copy of assessor data, staff simply runs the Updater. New parcels (if any) will be added. Owner information will be updated to reflect any sales or other changes in the region.

In addition, optional fields like zoning or assessed value can also be updated. When BasicGov is setting up the Updater fields from the Assessor, data are defined and included in BasicGov updates. If the information is in the Assessor file it is easy to bring it into the BasicGov system. Once there is agreement on which fields are meaningful then the data is "mapped" and the control back into city staff hands. Staff can run the Parcel Updater as often as needed.

The Updater is affordably priced at $500 - a one-time fee*.

The Parcel Updater is one small but powerful optional piece of the system that requires installation on one computer somewhere in your network **. BasicGov walks the users through the install (it's easy) and through the first update and then staff are ready to go.

Contact BasicGov sales to find out more about the Parcel Updater: sales@basicgov.com | toll free: weekdays, 6am to 5pm PST - 1.866.999.1846 .

* If the format of the city's Assessor data changes in the future, a "remap" to the data is required with a purchase of a new Parcel Updater.
** If a city prefers to skip the whole installation process, BasicGov can run the parcel update at a price of $200 per update.

About BasicGov
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

Survey Shows Impact of Foreclosures on Local Communities

As local officials try to manage citizen complaints, experts reveal psychological effect on neighborhoods.

October 6, 2009, Vancouver, BC - It's a myth that property owners and renters are the only victims of the economic crisis that has resulted in the foreclosure of millions of homes in the United States. The reality is that foreclosures, especially when clustered, affect entire communities economically, emotionally and psychologically

Foreclosure survey results

A recent survey conducted by market research company Mustel Group and sponsored by BasicGov, a web-based software for municipalities' community planning processes, found that of 150 municipal mayors, managers and code enforcement officers in the US:

• Approximately 80% said that the foreclosure crisis has resulted in an increase in citizen complaints over the past year;
• The most frequent complaints were overgrown yards (87%), property damage (61%) and garbage dumping (47%);
• 88% do not plan to increase staff to manage the overall problem; and
• 60% did not believe it is clearly known who is responsible for the property's maintenance.

Psychological impacts and economic decline linked to foreclosures

While most complaints - overgrown lawns, property damage and garbage dumping - seem relatively minor, they can cause psychological impacts and economic decline that follow other foreclosures crises in the past.

Several studies have previously shown that the effect on a neighborhood with several foreclosures can result in economic hardship for neighbors and businesses. A study by Fannie Mae in 2006 showed that one foreclosure listing within an eighth of a mile of a home could reduce its property value by 0.9 percent. Another study in Chicago valued the decline from one foreclosure at $1,870 per property within an eighth of a mile.

More insidious, however, are the psychological and emotional effects of foreclosures on a neighborhood. The evidence of neglect often attracts squatters, vandals and criminals, leaving a neighborhood appearing disheveled and abandoned. This creates a spiral of despair among those left behind.

In a PBS broadcast, Dante Chinni, head of the Patchwork Nation Project, which measures life in several representative counties throughout the US stated, "Foreclosures are bad … when you start seeing homes going for sale on your street, or foreclosures, or houses being foreclosed on, it really affects psychologically, the economy of the area. People stop spending money - that has trickle effects that go into unemployment."

How municipalities are managing increased complaints related to foreclosures

The survey indicated that municipal officials are using a variety of measures to manage the increase of complaints, with the most common being working more closely with property managers, improving co-ordination with other departments, and using software to streamline code enforcement.

However, given that 88% of respondents do not plan to increase their staff to manage the problem, local officials are using tools like code enforcement software to cope with increased caseloads.

Currently, 79% of the municipalities surveyed use software applications to manage their code enforcement process and already one in four of those were using web-based software for this task. Among the group currently not using software, approximately 50% think it would allow them to manage complaints more efficiently but cost was seen as a significant deterrent to implementing software.

"It wasn't surprising to see in the survey we sponsored that foreclosures have resulted in more complaints for local government or that they don't have the funding to hire more staff. But what was really surprising was the finding that 66% said that cost was a major deterrent to obtaining software to manage citizen complaints," said David Roberts, President and CEO of CloudBench Applications. "The reality is that local governments can implement web-based software to manage community complaints at very low cost."

About Mustel Group
Mustel Group is a North American market research company with over 25 years of experience. All of Mustel Group's senior consultants are members in good standing with the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA), and strictly adhere to the Associations' Code of Research Ethics and Rules of Conduct and Good Practice.

About Survey Sponsor
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1

White paper released: "Disaster Planning for Local Governments",
sponsored and published by BasicGov

Cloud computing, SaaS software solutions help local governments’ community development departments prepare for data disasters and emergencies such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

September 23, 2009, Vancouver, BC - BasicGov has sponsored and published a new white paper about disaster planning for local governments that outlines affordable solutions for community development departments to prepare for data disasters caused natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes.

Community development and planning functions such as zoning, and permitting and code enforcement tend to form the majority of small-municipality operations and their records are vital to local government operation. This important data can easily be lost in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane or tornado.

Since records nowadays are increasingly computerized, data backup and protection is paramount for local governments. Cloud computing, often known as Software as a Service (SaaS) or web-based software, is an attractive solution for this problem. Cloud computing applications are quick to install, simple to use, and less expensive that traditional software.

Cloud computing offers superior data protection on a payment schedule that is friendly to local governments’ limited budgets. Because cloud computing applications use the subscription or utility payment model, there is no need to pay for expensive backup hardware and software. Also, because costs are spread over months or years, they become part of a local government’s operating budget instead of its capital budget, and so avoid the depreciation costs common with capitalized computer equipment.

Because of these lower costs and higher data asset protection capabilities, hundreds of local governments across North America are turning to cloud computing applications to ensure continual protection and easy retrieval of their vital data in the event of a natural disaster.

Read full white paper, download PDF.

About White Paper Sponsor
BasicGov Systems, Inc. (TSX Venture: BSG) develops, sells and supports web-based software, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), for local governments throughout North America. BasicGov software suite includes: Permits & Inspections; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Planning; and Citizen Portal. The software allows cities and local governments to improve productivity and provide better services to citizens by streamlining and automating processes in its community development to achieve smart growth and sustainability goals. To help small or large government agencies lower IT costs BasicGov has an aggressive SaaS subscription pricing model. BasicGov has partnered with Salesforce.com and its Force.com cloud computing platform used by more than 55,000 organizations worldwide to deliver industry leading performance, security and scalability to government customers.
www.basicgov.com

Media contact: Susan Kirk
susan.kirk@basicgov.com, 1.604.315.9959

Sales contact: Roula Fredrikson
roula.fredrikson@basicgov.com, 1.866.999.1846 ext. 1