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Council reviews plan to hire Matrix Consulting Group to study development-review process
Summary
The city presented a proposed contract with Matrix Consulting Group to review permitting and development-review procedures, including SmartGov use, staffing, customer service and internal processes; the study will result in a draft report and recommendations.
City staff told the Tomball City Council at the March 17 workshop that the community development department has budgeted funds to engage a consultant to review the city’s development-review processes, including permitting, inspections and interdepartmental coordination.
Staff said five firms submitted qualifications and that Matrix Consulting Group was selected as the most qualified. According to the task plan in the council packet, Matrix will conduct internal interviews, determine goals and objectives, evaluate the city’s use of SmartGov (the permitting/online portal adopted January 1, 2024), assess entitlement/inspection processes, survey customer satisfaction, compare operations to industry standards, and produce a final report for council.
Staff said the review will include Community Development, the Fire Marshal’s office and Public Works engineering; staff emphasized the work is procedural and operational and does not include a review of specific code language. The item was presented for council discussion and placement on a future agenda for contract approval; no formal vote occurred in the workshop.
Staff asked council to review the draft task plan and to raise any questions prior to returning the item for formal action.
