Consultant recommends about 70 changes to Oshkosh development review; council discusses leadership council and digitization

A consultant told the Oshkosh City Council on Oct. 25 that the city’s development review system is delivering strong service levels but could be made more consistent and efficient through roughly 70 targeted changes, including clearer standard operating procedures, broader use of the city’s permitting software and a new internal leadership council to shepherd implementation.

Aaron Bagherly, a consultant with Matrix Consulting Group, presented the firm’s development-review final report and said the report — roughly 220 pages with appendices — will be followed by a fee study this fall. “You do have very strong service levels,” Bagherly said, adding that the city’s turnaround times are a strength even while some processes rely on institutional knowledge and uneven use of the city’s Evolv permitting system.

Bagherly told council members the recommendations fall into management and administration, process improvement, customer engagement and regulatory changes. Key process recommendations include creating formal standard operating procedures for review disciplines, performing…