Council presses staff for a rebuild dashboard and clearer permit timelines

Council members and public commenters called on staff to publish clearer, property‑specific permit status information and weekly metrics that show how long each step in the rebuild process takes.

Public speakers repeatedly asked the council to give fire survivors access to a single, easy‑to‑use dashboard or rebuild website where they can see status updates per property, expected turnaround times for plan reviews and inspection schedules. Several residents asked for a dedicated rebuild liaison or “czar” who would coordinate across planning, building and fire departments and hold a single point of contact for each family. Abe, a resident organizer, said a resident‑facing site went live and that integrating it with the city’s OnBase system would be a high priority.

City Manager David said the city is building a rebuild center that already provides concurrent interdepartmental review and that staff will publish statistics showing each phase of the process. He told the council staff will return with a list of the metrics the city is already capturing and recommended a short public session to refine what residents want to see. Planning staff and other presenters described an online application portal that shows applicants their individual application status, and staff said they will present a dashboard prototype to council and the public soon.

Ending: Staff pledged to provide the council and the public a clearer list of dashboard metrics and to continue outreach at the rebuild center; interested homeowners were encouraged to use the rebuild center and posted resources to get property‑specific guidance.