Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning And Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff say grants fund major projects but want permit‑tracking software and digitized records
Summary
Planning staff told supervisors the division is fully staffed with two planners and a shared secretary; they said a state Coastal Conservancy grant for Camp Memorial Park accounts for the bulk of professional services and urged investment in a permit‑tracking system to handle inquiries and improve permitting workflow.
Planning staff told the Board of Supervisors that their division has two planners, one funded by Measure R, and a shared secretary; the office is fully staffed, they said, but workload and counter inquiries can exceed the small staff’s capacity.
Heidi (planning staff) told the board the planning budget includes $159,595 in state Coastal Conservancy grant funds for a Camp Memorial Park expansion study that remains in a holding pattern. "$5,000 is set aside if we need to hire a consultant to assist us, say, on a CEQA document," she said, and added that the larger $159,595 grant amount explains a large professional‑services line in the planning budget.
Staff explained the county uses reimbursable grants for many projects and must front costs before submitting invoices for reimbursement. "So it's playing catch up," a county finance representative said of the reimbursement cycle. The planning staff requested clarity from the budget team on how grant amounts appear in the county budget; staff explained that revenue lines show the grant amount and expenditures include the anticipated reimbursable costs.
Supervisors pressed the division on operational needs. Planning staff said they are considering purchase of permit‑tracking software or a low‑cost database to track permits, conditions and the appeal period, and said the department’s recent purchase of a $14,000 data processing system had failed and was abandoned. Supervisor Short, Supervisor Starkey and others encouraged exploring established vendors; one supervisor noted Supervisor Wilson had connected staff to a representative from OpenGov, which has permitting products.
Staff also said the county will participate in a countywide fee schedule update in fiscal 2025–26; the last fee schedule update was 2019. Planning staff said fee adjustments and a modest tech fee could help fund permitting software.
Ending: Planning staff asked the board to note the grant funding and to consider support for permit tracking technology and training; the board asked budget staff to clarify how grant reimbursements appear in revenue and to consider software costs as part of the department’s future technology needs.
