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Consultants find staffing, software and process gaps in Taylor permitting; council urges quick fixes
Summary
Consultants hired by the City of Taylor identified insufficient staffing, manual workflows and an outdated permitting platform; council received a 46‑step implementation plan and staff said several short‑term fixes (24‑hour responses, permit clinics, a free software upgrade) are already under way.
Kevin Price, principal with consulting firm Barry Dunn, told the Taylor City Council on Aug. 14 that the firm’s audit of the city’s permitting and development services found significant operational gaps and opportunities to streamline the process.
"We identified 10 recommendations supported by 46 specific implementation actions," Price said, citing needs for clearer sequencing of permit steps, improved pre‑application support, stronger plan coordination and in‑house building official capacity.
Project manager Cara Dodds said permitting staff are young and the current version of the MGO permitting software in use is an older release that limits automation. "There are many manual processes leading to redundant steps and a high risk of human error," Dodds said, recommending optimization or an upgrade of MGO and clearer standard operating procedures.
Local business owners who spoke during citizen communications described long, repetitive back‑and‑forths on routine permits. Warren Smith, owner of Texan Cafe, said his sign permitting process took more than three months and involved repeated 10‑day cycles of questions from staff.
Development services staff told council they have already changed response targets and customer access: standardized response times now target 24 hours for many inquiries; weekly permit clinics have been established; ATS is providing a contractor hotline; and an MGO upgrade (offered free by the vendor) has been ordered.
Mayor Dwayne Areola praised the third‑party review as a practical, detailed road map. "There’s no excuse now — we have a real assessment," he said after the presentation. Councilmember Redd moved to receive the presentation; the motion passed by voice vote.
What happens next: consultants offered optional as‑needed implementation support and staff indicated that short‑term items (0–6 months) are already in motion. Councilmembers pressed staff to ensure inspections are completed thoroughly when inspectors visit sites to avoid repeat trips.
The city’s packet and the Barry Dunn final report contain the full list of 46 action items and a timeline broken into short, medium and long term steps.
