Development Services Review. Final Report. Zucker July 2016

We also discovered during interviews that the applicant is not invited to attend DRC meetings, when their project is scheduled for DRC. Instead the assigned Planner will hold a separate meeting after the DRC at a later date if needed or requested by the applicant. We believe this practice is inefficient and reduces the effectiveness of the DRC and that every applicant scheduled for a DRC meeting should be invited to attend the meeting and be allowed to discuss identified issues with staff reviewers with the goals of developing potential solutions to issues. Written comments by DRC members should be collated by the assigned project planner in advance of the meeting, where scheduling permits and a copy given to the applicant at the close of the meeting. Recommendation: The CDD should establish a formal policy and include it in the updated PPM, to invite applicants, whose projects appear on the DRC Agenda to attend the meeting to discuss the project with staff and to provide applicants with written comments at the close of the meeting. 146. There is a Planner on Duty (POD) system in place, which provides continuous counter coverage, which is a best practice. The DST and a Contract Planner have primary responsibility for counter coverage and the remaining regular FTE planners provide backup, on a rotating schedule as needed. POD’s wear pagers to ensure that they are accessible during their shifts. In addition, the MSA position supports in-take counter activities by logging new projects into Tide Mark, date stamping, labeling and creating project files, distributing review materials and other activities. Generally, the POD system is designed so that the DST covers the counter 3 days a week and the Contract Planner 2 days a week. Shifts are all day. Management staff indicated that they intend to integrate the new Associate Planner position into the POD system so that the DST and Contract Planner counter coverage is reduced, which is good. There are 4 workstations, equipped with computers at the counter and tables for plan review. The Building Division also has a counter and workstation equipped with a computer. In addition to a POD, there is also a designated Engineer on Duty and Building person on Duty, which is good. We noticed that a calendar is posted to show the staff providing counter coverage from each function, which is good. Staff’s business cards are displayed at the counter and provided to customers, which is also good. Front Counter, Planning Division

Currently, the DST and POD have primary responsibility for handling the front Development Services Counter including phone inquiries, walk-in customers,

Morgan Hill, California

136

Zucker Systems