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Community development asks for temporary planners as senior staff near retirement; annexation work planned
Summary
Community Development Director David Hainley said he expects two senior planning departures and requested temporary planner coverage options so permit review and development activity are not interrupted.
David Hainley, the city—s community development director, told council the department is preparing for imminent departures among senior planning staff and asked for temporary capacity to avoid halting permit reviews.
Hainley said the city will lose both the city planner and the planning-and-zoning coordinator within the coming year and stressed that "without them, there are no building permits released in this city," a disruption that would affect next year—s budget and local construction activity. He presented three options for short-term coverage: requesting assistance from the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), contracting outside review services (fee-for-service reviewers), or recruiting interns from university planning programs. He said each option had tradeoffs: MPO staff might not have the needed focus; contractors can be costly on a per-hour basis but avoid full-time hiring during downtime; internships can create pipelines but may not provide experienced reviewers immediately.
Hainley also advised council that the department has two senior employees with significant accrued paid time off and estimated a one-time payout of $45,468.17 if those balances are cashed out under current policies. He asked for flexibility on timing and said he would explore shorter-term hires or outsourcing to limit fiscal impact. Hainley proposed a $17,000 market-analysis software request (split between community development and the CRA/IT) to provide near-instant data about downtown visitation and spending to help recruit targeted businesses.
Why it matters: Plan-review staffing is essential to the issuance of building permits, which generate fee revenue and allow development projects to move forward. A gap in staffing could delay permitting, slowing new construction and associated revenues.
Ending: Councilmembers pressed Hainley to consider shorter-term hires and to return with more precise timelines; several suggested six-month phased approaches or outsourced review to reduce immediate payroll cost while preserving permit processing.
