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ii. Differentiate member roles for zoning, site plan, platting, and administrative <br />functions of the Commission. <br />iii. Define and enforce appropriate protocol and decorum expectations. <br />iv. Ensure Commission members are availed of training and education <br />opportunities. <br />v. Establishing a schedule and process for periodic review of codes and ordinances <br />directly related to the work of the Planning Commission. <br />I. Departmental Cohesiveness <br />Findings <br />There is an internal tension between the divisions of the department that may cause <br />communication errors and process difficulties. A lack of cohesion could easily translate to processes <br />not functioning as efficiently as possible and customers experiencing difficulty. <br />Recommendations <br />1. Change the name of the department to "Planning and Development" or <br />"Development Services", or similar to better reflect the overall mission and <br />responsibilities of the department. A divide between the Inspections and <br />Planning/Engineering Divisions has been identified. One possible cause for the divide is <br />the name of the department does not represent all aspects of the department. There is <br />a Planning Division, which has only one member, within the Planning Department. <br />There is an Engineering Division that is not identified at all within the department. The <br />name of the department implies that planning is its primary function, which tends to <br />diminish the perceived importance of the other divisions within the department. A <br />different name for the department would be more inclusive of all departmental <br />functions and could serve as a first step in reducing internal tensions. <br />2. Establish one staff member, with a department -wide focus, responsible for <br />shepherding applications through all phases from inception to final acceptance. This <br />person should be charged with communicating all steps and prerequisite permits, for a <br />particular project at the pre -development meeting. This person should be empowered <br />with the authority to make judgments (common sense decisions), to reconcile conflicting <br />inter -division requirements and to facilitate timely and successful completion of <br />projects. <br />Currently, applicants with complex projects must interact serially with the various <br />divisions and multiple contact persons. This system allows staff members to be more <br />concerned with their individual processes/permits rather than on a department -wide <br />18 Planning Department Review Mueller Management/Ron Cox Consulting <br />