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Planning Department presents budget surplus and proposes 11 FTE to tackle backlogs
Summary
Planning Department staff told the Historic Preservation Commission the department is projecting a revenue surplus driven by increased permit volumes and proposed adding 11.01 FTE in FY2014–15 (14.5 FTE in FY2015–16) to reduce backlog and expand preservation capacity; staff also proposed eliminating several low‑volume administrative fees.
Planning Department staff presented an informational update on the department’s proposed two‑year budget for fiscal years 2014–15 and 2015–16, telling the Historic Preservation Commission that higher‑than‑expected fee revenue has produced a projected current‑year surplus.
John Grama said the department is "substantially above budget projections" and that staff plans to propose a one‑time $3 million appropriation that would allow the city to hire eight currently unfunded positions sooner. Finance and IT Manager Keith DeMartini laid out revenue and expenditure projections, saying next fiscal year’s revenue budget is proposed to be just over $37 million and the department projects a $5.7 million surplus for the current fiscal year based on higher building‑permit and planning case volumes.
Staff proposed adding 11.01 full‑time equivalent positions in FY2014–15 (annualizing to 14.5 FTE the following year) to address application backlogs and expand preservation work. Staff emphasized the volume increase is concentrated in building‑permit alterations, not only new large projects, and argued additional preservation staffing will address historic‑resource review demands. DeMartini said the department will also propose eliminating a handful of low‑volume fees (refund processing, installment agreement processing, certain information‑request fees and reactivation fees for closed cases) and will request funding for additional interns, professional services and modest space reconfiguration.
Commissioners asked how the department measures backlog and how preservation staffing will be allocated. Staff described backlog as cases that have come in but still show 0 staff hours allocated; operable responses include hiring additional staff and streamlining review to identify early whether a project triggers historic‑resource review. Tim Frey noted the department is proposing one preservation FTE to focus on designation work and relieve CEQA review backlog. Sheila Nicholas, the department’s grant writer, described a $3.9 million grant portfolio that supports about 16 projects and mentioned specific grant applications planned to support the Phase 2 rail yard study.
Staff said the budget and staffing proposals will return to the commission for formal recommendation at a future hearing (planned for Feb. 19) prior to transmittal to the mayor’s office and the Planning Commission-specific hearings.
Next steps: staff will present the formal budget recommendation to the commission on Feb. 19 and will seek Planning Commission support before submitting the package to the mayor’s office.
