Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

To:	Mayor City Commissioners
From:	Dave Corliss City Manager
cc:	Management Team Craig Weinaug, County Administrator
Date:	January 5, 2007
Re:	Agenda item

Please place the following item on the City Commission consent agenda for consideration at their January 23, 2007 meeting:

Recommendations from Matrix Report – Receive Implementation Plan from City staff

Background:  The project involved a review and analysis by Matrix Consulting Group of the City’s development process.  This project was submitted with the Planning Department’s 2006 budget proposal and approved by the City Commission.  On November 14, 2006, the City Commission received the report and provided direction to staff to develop an implementation plan for the various recommendations contained in the report.  As directed by the Commission, part of that plan should include a prioritization of the recommendations, identification of priorities that would streamline the process, and a discussion of costs and recommendations that were budgeted in 2007. 

Coordination with County: Coordination with County Commissioners and staff will be a priority, on appropriate items, as we move forward with the implementation of the recommendations.  Of particular interest will be the work we do to integrate the needs of the County development process into the work plans for staff of the blended department, a recommendation that is more fully described below.  Attending to those needs will be a priority and we will rely on the history of cooperative efforts between the City and County to guide us as improved processes are contemplated for the future.

Implementation Plan:  The Executive Summary from the Matrix Report provided a detailed list of all their recommendations, a suggested timeframe for implementation, as well as some estimated costs.  City staff has reviewed that list and submits the following plan as those items needing confirmation from the City Commission prior to implementing:

· Software package for the development review process.  This recommendation involves putting together a Request for Proposals (RFP) from appropriate software vendors for an automated permit information system that covers the development process “from inception to conclusion”, providing a streamlined and transparent view of the process that would be utilized by all the departments involved in development and enabling the development community and other interested parties (i.e. neighborhood reps, private citizens, etc.) to know where a particular development is in the process.  Proceeding with the RFP will allow for a thorough review of attributes and costs of a new system, as well as an analysis of the costs/benefits of retaining/enhancing the existing HTE system.  Staff recommends development of an RFP in the first quarter of 2007.  A new software system was not budgeted for 2007 and will be deployed as resources allow in 2007 or budgeted for implementation in 2008.

· Merging of the Planning and Neighborhood Resources departments.  This recommendation is two-fold and involves the merging of functions as well as the co-location of a combined Planning and Development Services Department.  Staff recommends a two-step approach, which begins with the hiring of a new Director for the department.  The first step of this process is underway, as last week Craig Weinaug and members of our staff interviewed professional recruiting firms and plan to select one this week to assist us in the recruitment process.  A draft organizational chart for a Development Services Department, as recommended by staff, is attached for Commission review.  Budget for this director position is included for 2007, but any costs for co-location would need to proceed through the 2008 CIP and budget process.

· Additional Personnel.  Prior to the completion of the Matrix report, funding for additional staff ($112,000 in the General Fund) was included in the 2007 budget. The Matrix report recommended additional plans examiner positions and additional planner positions for the blended department.  Staff has reviewed those recommendations and also considered the need for additional staffing in the area of transportation planning.  For 2007, staff would recommend the following additional key positions:

o Senior Transportation Planner

o Senior Specialty Planner

o Plans Examiner

Once these staffing recommendations are implemented, and workloads for the blended department have been adjusted and efficiency improvements made, additional analysis would take place regarding the new structure of the blended department prior to requesting any additional positions, perhaps with the 2008 budget.  Additionally, staff is recommending that a plan of action be developed by City and County staff members to address the workload associated with County planning activities.

· Consideration of the most current version of the International Code Council (ICC) building codes.  In coming weeks the Commission will review two options:

1) adoption of the ICC codes or

2) adoption of a blended code arrangement to include the ICC Codes and the Uniform Mechanical and Plumbing codes.   

· Development of a “Home Improvement Center” web page on the City’s website.  Staff will begin development of this tool in the first quarter of 2007 to assist homeowners in navigating through the building permit plan check and inspection process.  Current staff can develop this web page, thus no significant costs are anticipated.

· The Planning Department will conduct training sessions to familiarize staff and the development community with the new zoning ordinance.  Given the current workload and staffing issues with the Planning Department, staff recommends that this is a second quarter, 2007 project. 

· Administrative recommendations.  There are a number of “administrative” recommendations that were included in the Matrix report that have not been detailed in this implementation plan, but are already being addressed or will be addressed in 2007.  Many are related to improving performance measures and enhancing our website with information that is helpful to the development community as well as the private property owner who is interested in obtaining a residential building permit.  Staff recommends that we utilize the weekly BusinessLink meetings to track our progress in completion of the recommended tasks, with occasional updates on that progress to the City Commission.

Commission Action:  Staff looks forward to streamlining the development process and sees the implementation of this plan as providing opportunities for measurable improvement.  Thus we recommend that the City Commission approve this outline of an implementation plan and direct staff to begin the process of completing the necessary steps.