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DBI director updates commission on staffing, MIS work and seismic safety grants
Summary
Director Esam Hassanan introduced a new support services manager, reported progress on MIS and business reengineering efforts, said the department holds about $10 million in reserves and confirmed a FEMA grant to support seismic-safety work.
Department Director Esam Hassanan introduced Neil Taniguchi as the new support services manager and outlined operational work underway to support the Department of Building Inspection nd the commission.
Taniguchi, whom the director described as a 20-year city employee with experience in finance and budgeting, addressed the commission briefly and said he looked forward to working with staff and commissioners.
Hassanan updated commissioners on the status of MIS and automation efforts, saying staff were reviewing BPR recommendations and implementing measured enhancements to the existing system while assessing longer-term options. He reported progress on the business process reengineering implementation and said weekly meetings were tracking tasks, deadlines and responsible parties.
On finances, the director told the commission the department—xpects to use about $140,000 of reserves this year under current projections rather than millions originally anticipated and estimated about $10 million in remaining reserves. He also said the department had secured a FEMA grant to support seismic safety work and that ATC (the contracted organization) would begin the next phase of the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPS) once city approvals were complete. "We have a final contract that we're running through the city process to have it approved and have the organization that we hired, which is ATC, start their work," he said.
Commissioners asked for follow-up detail, including vacancy breakdowns by unit, timeline for reconfiguration of office space and the relationship between enterprise fund status and citywide hiring freezes. Hassanan said the department believed enterprise funds were not subject to a general hiring freeze but acknowledged differing interpretations and offered to confirm details with the mayor nd budget staff.
Commissioners also discussed whether geotechnical reports and soil boring logs the department holds could be made more accessible to staff and the public; staff were asked to research legality and copyright implications and report back.
