Planning department seeks new code officer and a long-range planner as applications surge

Clear Creek County planning staff told the commission that recent increases in discretionary applications and enforcement caseloads are straining existing personnel and slowing long-range work such as the comprehensive plan and zoning-code updates.

Planning staff described a jump in project volume: multiple planned-development and rezoning requests and an unusually high number of variance applications this year. The department asked the board to add a full-time code-enforcement officer to increase capacity for on-the-ground compliance work and to pursue one long-range planner position focused on comp-plan work, code modernization and project management for consultant-led efforts.

"We have a lot of long-range planning issues that historically were handled by the director or other staff that are no longer here," a planning staffer said. "If we continue at current application and development rates, we'll be unable to advance comp-plan and zoning updates on the schedule the county needs."

Commissioners and staff discussed how adding enforcement capacity could increase downstream legal work if more cases proceed to hearings or civil enforcement, and they noted several recent situations that have required legal time. Planning staff proposed a multi-year approach: hire a long-range planner to manage consultant engagements on major projects and add enforcement capacity to clear backlogs.

Commissioners asked planning staff to bring a job description, a proposed pay range and options for phased hiring or temporary/contract support and to estimate any additional offsetting fee revenue from faster permitting or revised fee schedules.

Outcome: Commissioners supported advancing a staffing discussion. Staff will return with a proposed job description and cost/rate scenarios and with an analysis of permit-fee adjustments that could offset some of the recurring personnel cost.