Salinas permit center reports surge in work, flags staffing gaps and consultant reliance

The Salinas City Council heard a detailed summary on Feb. 11 of the Permit Center’s 2024 annual report, which showed substantial increases in permit applications, inspections and construction valuation while also identifying persistent staffing shortfalls that prompted the city to contract outside plan‑review and inspection services.

Community Development Director Lisa Brinton presented the report and said the permit center’s counter visits rose 12 percent year‑over‑year, building permit submissions increased 30 percent and building inspections reached 17,866 (up 24 percent). Brinton said residential permits accounted for roughly 80 percent of all applications; accessory dwelling units (ADUs) were a notably large share of that work and “since 2021, 314 ADUs have been finaled,” she said.

The report showed a sharp jump in construction valuation — roughly $565 million in submitted applications, a 500 percent increase from 2023 — and fee revenue rose from about $1.38 million to $4.4 million, Brinton said. The volume included several large commercial projects that required specialized technical review.

Assistant Community Development Director David Gonsalves and Chief Building Official Angeline Anzini joined Brinton in answering council questions. Gonsalves said the department has struggled to recruit and retain key plan‑review staff and that two plan‑review positions have been vacant through repeated recruitments. “We’re competing with the private sector,” he said, describing efforts with Human Resources to reword job postings, broaden recruitment channels, and consider alternative hiring and scheduling approaches.

Because of the vacancies and several technically complex projects, the city has engaged consultant teams for plan review and inspection support. The staff report lists not‑to‑exceed contracts totaling $3.75 million; Gonsalves told the council that about $2.6 million of that is tied to a single large distribution project and that the remaining consultant spending covers other augmenting services and project‑specific needs. “We’d rather have staff,” Gonsalves said, “but consultants are the practical way to manage peak workloads and expertise gaps while we hire.”

Council members and members of the public pressed staff on on‑time review rates, which declined from 72 percent in 2023 to 61 percent in 2024. Brinton linked the decline primarily to the plan‑review vacancies and said staff intends to reverse the trend by forming a dedicated residential team, establishing over‑the‑counter plan‑check days for simple permits (for example, kitchen or bathroom remodels, solar and roofing) and improving cross‑division communications to reduce repeat review cycles. She said 81 percent of permits were approved by the third review cycle.

Brinton and Gonsalves also discussed process improvements under way: monthly internal coordination meetings, a “hot list” to focus on projects with multiple review cycles, and additional staff training (the report lists 13 new staff certifications in 2024). The council and staff discussed testing AI tools for plan‑review assistance; Gonsalves said the department has explored pilots but found current tools “not accurate enough” to replace human review and that the technology “is close but not there yet.”

Public commenters and business representatives described mixed experiences with the permit center. Local architect Alex Reynoso said he’s seen improvement and urged the council to trust staff’s reform work. Community members and councilors requested more proactive, clear and timely communication so applicants understand next steps and deadlines. Several council members asked staff to identify a short list of permit types that could be approved administratively or on a single counter visit.

Staff described a two‑track strategy: continue to recruit and rework job descriptions to attract candidates (including evaluating flexible schedules and other benefits) while retaining consultant capacity to handle high‑volume or technically specialized projects. Brinton said the zoning code update planned for 2025 is a related priority: it offers an opportunity to clarify and streamline standards, reduce subjective interpretation, and create clear pathways for both simple and complex projects.

Council members praised the presentation’s transparency. “You’re changing culture,” Council member Sandoval said. “Keep at it.” Brinton and Gonsalves thanked the council for support and said they would return with updates, consultant scopes and the zoning code outreach plan.