Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Caldwell planning and building staff report sustained permit and construction growth; ask for inspectors and parking enforcement staff
Summary
Community Development reported rising planning and building permit activity, paperless permitting progress and requests for new inspector and parking-enforcement positions to match workload.
Robins Mullins, Caldwell’s community development director, told council the department has absorbed planning, building, code compliance and parking functions under one roof and is seeing sustained growth across land-use and building activity.
Mullins said planning application submittals and construction activity have risen this fiscal year compared with last year. He cited figures for October 1–May 31 showing planning and permit workloads above the prior-year period and said residential new-construction permit activity has increased; Mullins said staff had processed about 937 residential new-construction permits compared with about 621 last year for the same period.
Mullins highlighted recent modernization moves: switching plan submittals to a paperless workflow (with inspectors using iPads in the field), adding front-counter computers to improve efficiency, and testing new permitting software the department hopes to contract by September to improve reporting and data workflows.
On staffing and budget, Mullins asked for a commercial building-inspector/plan-examiner position to reduce expensive outside consultant use; he said the existing budgeted consultant amount—about $69,000—would be better invested in a full-time employee, which he estimated would cost the city about $52,000 with benefits. He also requested another full-time parking code compliance officer to enforce the newly passed downtown time-restricted parking ordinance; the idea is to have one officer dedicated to downtown and the other 1.5 positions cover citywide needs.
Mullins said some staff merit reclassifications tied to certifications and years of experience and asked council to budget for those changes next year. He also requested a few vehicle replacements for aging fleet units and noted the department is working on a new development guide for the public explaining entitlement and construction steps, and on an outward-facing GIS portal for residents.
Ending — Mullins said the department’s work is driven by increased private development activity and that planned software and staffing upgrades aim to improve turnaround times and service for builders and residents.
