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Walnut Creek Council OKs $290,720 consultant contract to speed permitting
Summary
The City Council authorized a one-year agreement with Partners in Public Innovation to pursue Lean-based process improvements in development services, including staff training and metrics to shorten permit turnaround. The action passed unanimously.
The Walnut Creek City Council on Sept. 2 authorized the city manager to execute a consultant services agreement with Partners in Public Innovation to improve the city’s development permitting processes, approve staff training and embed continuous-improvement practices. The council voted unanimously to approve the contract.
Council members and staff said the year-long engagement is intended to reduce delays and make permitting more predictable for applicants and staff. Staff described the approach as hands-on process improvement, training and implementation coaching rather than a one-off report.
"Our mission ... is to transform public services by empowering staff to create a culture of continuous improvement," said Ryan Hunter, cofounder and principal at Partners in Public Innovation, during the presentation to council. Hunter described methods such as Lean process mapping, root-cause analysis and iterative testing to reduce time-to-permit and staff burden.
City staff told the council the work will include introductory process-improvement training for development-services staff, an in-depth certification ("Lean leader" or equivalent) for emerging leaders, facilitated cross-departmental improvement projects and ongoing coaching to sustain gains. Staff also said short-term "quick wins" would be pursued early to free up staff time and demonstrate results.
"Staff recommends that council authorize the city manager to execute a consultant services agreement with Partners in Public Innovation for this work," staff told the council during the presentation.
Councilmembers asked about how the consultant work would align with the city's recent software investments for development services and requested iterative reports to the council during the year so the public and business community could track progress. Assistant City Manager Charles Chang said the scope of work is defined and that delivery details (timing of sessions, team size) would be refined with staff.
The council approved a motion authorizing the city manager to enter into the agreement; roll-call voting recorded unanimous approval (5–0). The staff presentation and council discussion described the project as a one-year engagement with a mix of training, facilitated projects and capacity building for sustained improvement.
What happens next: staff will finalize the consultant agreement and coordinate project launch steps, including training sessions, definition of success metrics and reporting cadence to the council.
