Planning Department adopts 2025–27 budget after review of declining fee revenue

The Planning Commission adopted the Planning Department’s proposed fiscal years 2025–27 budget and work program on a unanimous 6–0 vote Feb. 13.

The department presented a high‑level summary of a budget staff reviewed earlier in January, telling commissioners the principal drivers are permit and entitlement volume, fee revenue those projects generate, and how many staff the department can fund from that revenue. “There’s really three major factors that drive our budget, and that is entitlements and permits that walk through the door, the revenue that those entitlements and permits generate, and then, how many staff we can fund from that money,” Director of Administration Thomas DeSanto said.

The planning department reported a substantial revenue decline in the last two…