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Building Inspection Commission approves status-quo budget, defers BPR supplemental after extended debate
Summary
The commission approved the department—udget for FY 2008-09 but deferred a $3.2 million supplemental tied to a business process reengineering (BPR) proposal after detailed discussion of implementation timelines, fee increases and fiscal risk.
The San Francisco Building Inspection Commission voted to approve a status-quo budget for fiscal 2008-09 and to defer a supplemental appropriation tied to a business process reengineering (BPR) plan after an extended Feb. 20 hearing that mixed technical budget details, legal procedure and community input.
Staff presented a proposed budget that, on its face, showed a projected shortfall without additional fee increases. John Madden, acting support services manager, explained the department lso sought approximately 30 additional positions recommended by the BPR to improve permit processing and plan review. Madden said the department hoped to pair the supplemental with a pending fee study so new staffing could be supported by updated fee revenue; he described the request as designed to implement BPR recommendations and to improve turnaround times.
Commissioners debated whether to include the BPR positions in the formal budget submission now or to submit them later as a supplemental. Commissioner Walker urged caution and requested a detailed implementation plan before approving the supplemental. "I'm not going to support a budget that goes forward with a $13,000,000 figure in the red," she said, warning against using reserves to expand operations before fee changes are approved.
Other commissioners argued that if the supplemental was delayed it could slow implementation by several months: staff and the budget office said a late supplemental would likely not be heard by the mayor's office and Board of Supervisors until the fall, delaying hiring and the BPR timeline. The city attorney's office intervened during the item to clarify charter rules on required vote thresholds, a procedural point that led the commission to reopen the discussion after a short break.
After reopening the item and negotiating a compromise, the commission voted 5 to 2 to approve the status-quo budget and postpone submission of the BPR supplemental until staff supplies additional implementation detail (schedules, responsible parties and clearer fee projections). The director committed to returning with a final BPR implementation plan and a clearer breakdown of requested positions and timelines at the next meeting.
The meeting record shows the department also reported it has roughly $10 million in reserves and that revenue projections were conservative (staff estimated $43 million in revenue for the coming year). Staff warned that full implementation of the supplemental without fee changes would be unsustainable. Commissioners directed staff to present a more detailed implementation plan and to provide written responses to specific commissioner concerns before considering the supplemental again.
