The municipalities of Druten and Wijchen are the driving forces behind the welfare and livability in the Land of Maas and Waal. From policy development to permit granting: transparency and citizen participation are central. An important instrument in this is the commentary procedure, which allows residents and organizations to formally express their opinions on plans such as the environmental plan or large construction projects.
What is a viewpoint and why is it so important?
A viewpoint is an official response from citizens, organizations, or companies to a draft decision of the municipality. Before a decision becomes final, for example regarding a new environmental plan or a building permit, the municipality makes these plans available for public inspection. Anyone who is directly involved or whose interests are affected gets the chance to provide written or oral feedback: comments, objections, or suggestions.
This procedure strengthens citizen participation and democratic transparency. It enables municipalities to incorporate a wide range of insights into their decision-making. At the same time, it also brings a significant challenge: every viewpoint must be carefully assessed, responded to, and legally substantiated.
Challenge
Handling feedback is a time-consuming task:
Searching for information for hours: Information about plans, regulations, and case law is scattered across various documents.
Drafting complex legal texts: Each response requires precision and a legally sound justification.
Inconsistent answers and delays: Due to differences in approach among staff, variations in quality and style arise.
All of this leads to unnecessary delays and frustration within municipal teams.
Solution
At MSTR, we believe there is a smarter way. Our AI solution is not a replacement for civil servants, but a smart tool that takes on repetitive work and accelerates processes. Here’s how it works:
Input viewpoints, extract key points: Upload a viewpoint and let our AI quickly extract the main objections and arguments.
Linking relevance: The AI automatically searches for the best matches in your environmental plan, other policy documents from Druten and Wijchen, and nationwide relevant case law.
Draft ready, you check: Within seconds, a complete draft is ready for you, including source references, so you as a civil servant only need to check and fine-tune. The control and final responsibility naturally remain with you!
This approach saves your team hours per viewpoint, increases quality, and ensures consistency in all responses. This frees up space for substantive handling and client-oriented work.
Ready for the future: how your municipality benefits
Accelerated procedures lead to more satisfied residents.
Legally sound answers reduce risks.
More efficient collaboration through uniform processes.
Integrate with existing systems such as municipal document management and workflow tools.
Want to know more about digitization and AI in municipal administration? Also check our page on AI in government processes.
Want to experience it yourself? Book your demo now!
Curious about how this AI solution can also improve the handling of viewpoints in your municipality? Book your personal demo here and discover how simple and powerful it works.
