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TO: Honorable Mayor and
AGENDA ITEM
December 8, 2015
Members of the City Council
THRU: Rick Otto
City Manager
FROM: William Crouch C
Community Development Director
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City Manager
Finance Direct r
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To Be Presented By:
William Crouch
X Cons Calendar
_ City Mgr Rpts
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Plan/Environ
1. SUBJECT
Implementation Status Report on the Recommendations from the Organizational
Assessment for Development Services
2. SUMMARY
At the June 12, 2012 meeting, the City Council reviewed an organizational assessment report
focused on the City's development services departments. The report included numerous findings
and 27 recommendations related to the City's development services operations and policies. An
implementation progress report was provided to the Council at its September 25, 2012 meeting.
This report represents a summary of the implementations in response to the recommendations of
the Organizational Assessment report related to the Community Development Department.
3. RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file report.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
No immediate fiscal impact.
5. STRATEGIC PLAN
4b. Provide facilities and services to meet customer expectations.
16. GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Not applicable.
ITEM �a.`�
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7. DISCUSSION and BACKGROUND
Background
On June 12, 2012, the City Council reviewed an organizational assessment report focused on the
City's development services departments. The report included numerous findings and 27
recommendations related to the City's development services operations and policies. The report,
prepared by Management Partners, Inc. ( "MP "), split the assessment into two projects:
Development Process Review and Alternative Service Delivery Options Review. A status report
on the implementation efforts of the recommendations from the Development Process Review
portion of the report was provided to the Council on September 25, 2012 (Attachment 2).
Summary of Findings and Recommendations - Development Process Review
Based on its findings, MP identified a number of improvements that are intended to help the
development services departments better prepare for the future and improve the level of services
that our entitlement customers expect. As such, the report identified a series of recommendations
falling into the categories of process improvements, resource materials, staffing levels and
functional realignments, and technology improvements.
In the three years that have elapsed since the September 2012 report, the Community Development
Department has been able to implement many of the MP recommendations. Of the 27
Development Process Review recommendations, 17 have been implemented, with the remaining
10 expected to be implemented by the end of February 2016. An implementation status matrix
addressing all recommendations is provided as Attachment 1 to this report. Highlights of
completed implementation actions include the following:
• Recommendation 7: Empower case planners to function as project managers for assigned
projects during the entitlement phase.
• Recommendation 9: Assign and train one associate planner to provide back up support to
the historic preservation planner position.
• Recommendation 15: Incentivize the preliminary review process by advertising it as a time
and cost savings option for potential applicants.
• Recommendation 19: Evaluate the City's water quality control requirements for consistency
with those of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.
• Recommendation 22: At the discretion of the case planner, provide an opportunity for
applicants to meet with appropriate department representatives jointly to discuss major
project issues or concerns.
• Recommendation 26: Centralize construction plan intake and return between applicants and
the reviewing departments through the Building Division.
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In addition to these highlights, Planning staff has completed a number of development streamlining
Code amendments to simplify the development review process, reducing applicant costs and
timeframes for new projects and business activities. Examples include the Administrative Design
Review process, elimination of certain Conditional Use Permit requirements, and addressing
certain types of businesses that had previously not been recognized in the Code.
Those recommendations that are underway, yet are not completed at this time, include refreshing
existing Community Development Department development application materials, and
information related to the development review process, Old Towne, and demographics. The work
on these tasks involves coordination with the City's Public Information Officer and graphic design
services consultant. Special effort is being made with these materials to ensure that the design
theme and layout of handouts establish a Community Development Department "branding" that
can be easily transferred to Building and Code Compliance materials to create a uniform look for
all department forms and handouts. Individual products are scheduled for completion between
December and March.
Staff believes that implementation of the Organizational Assessment recommendations has
produced tangible improvements in the efficiency, timeliness, and quality of Community
Development Department services. Continued monitoring and ongoing refinement of department
practices will remain a priority to ensure that high levels of internal and external customer service
are maintained.
The improved interdepartmental communication and coordination that has been achieved as a
result of the recommendations has resulted in a refined role for the BEST Team as well. While
the Team remains active, its "trouble- shooting" role has shifted focus to business outreach and
retention, with BEST Team members participating in the City's regular broker outreach efforts.
At these events, Team members have the opportunity to answer questions and provide property
representatives with key staff contact information in order to more fully vet issues that have created
complexities for new businesses and development.
8. ATTACHMENTS
1. Community Development Department Recommendations Implementation Matrix
2. September 25, 2012 City Council Agenda Report
N:\CDD\ADMIN\Organizational Assessment \CC_AgendaRpt_12_S_2015.docx
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