Planning Commission approves department budget and fee assumptions; staff to pursue fee study

The Planning Commission unanimously approved the Planning Department’s proposed FY2020–2022 revenue and expenditure budget on Feb. 13. Director John Grama and Deputy Director Deborah Landis presented the package, describing a $45.4 million estimate for fees and service charges, a 3.5% general fund support reduction requested by the mayor’s budget instructions, and an optimistic $2.75 million in potential grant revenue including Assembly Bill 101 planning grant funds.

Staff said the department will submit the budget to the mayor by Feb. 21 and that the Board of Supervisors will consider it through June with finalization in July. Landis noted a new transparency requirement and a website from the controller’s office to consolidate budget documents. Commissioners asked for more detail on non‑personnel expenditures, staffing for cultural districts and tenant‑advocate coverage. Staff said no dedicated tenant‑advocate position was created but department staff are being trained broadly to address tenant issues and the historic preservation role has been distributed among several trained staff members since a prior position was vacated.

Commissioners also discussed performance measures and a pending fee study intended to align fees with actual project review timeframes; staff told the commission the department has not updated its fee study in several years and hopes the new study will better align fee rates with workload. The motion to approve the budget carried unanimously (6–0).