Development Services Review. Final Report. Zucker July 2016

30. Recommendation: The process of establishing performance standards should include an affirmation that quality standards will not be sacrificed to meet quantitative goals. Building Inspector Supervisor Authority Our individual interviews and the comments provided in the employee surveys strongly suggest that the Building Official is well respected for his technical knowledge and his approach to supervising staff. When we review the organizational structure of the Building Division, however, we find that the span of control of the Building Official includes virtually everyone in the Division. While the organization chart suggests that the Building Inspectors report through a Building Inspector Supervisor, many of the employee surveys indicated that the Building Inspectors believe they report directly to the Building Official. This perception is reinforced by the fact that the Building Official prepares each Building Inspectors Annual Performance Evaluation. The Building Official needs to clearly communicate to all of the staff that the Inspectors report to the Senior Building Supervisor and not directly to the Building Official. We are aware that the Building Inspector Supervisor has only about one year of experience in this new position and therefore may be reluctant to fully assert his authority. Given the ongoing challenges facing the Division and the anticipated new projects that our report will likely generate we strongly recommend that the Building Inspector Supervisor position assume all of the responsibilities commensurate with a supervisor position, including preparation of annual Performance Evaluations. 31. Recommendation: The Building Official should immediately transfer responsibility for preparing the annual Performance Evaluations of the Building Inspectors to the Building Inspector Supervisor. Building Official Succession Planning It is entirely reasonable to assume that a newly hired Chief Plans Examiner would, given sufficient mentoring and management training, become a strong candidate for the position of Building Official when that position becomes vacant. When the Building Official position does become available the City should first and foremost be seeking an individual with both technical expertise and strong leadership ability. An approach to confirming the minimum level of technical expertise and an understanding of management practices that apply to the position of Building Official can be obtained by insuring candidates are recognized as a Certified Building Official (CBO) through a nationally recognized organization. 32. Recommendation: Future recruitment for the position of Building Official should include confirming recognition as a Certified Building Official (CBO) and evidence of strong leadership skills.

Morgan Hill, California

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