Planning Department proposes staff additions and $42M fee‑driven budget for 2016–18

Director John Ram and administration director Tom DiSanto presented the Planning Department’s proposed FY2016–17 and FY2017–18 budget to the Planning Commission, telling commissioners that sustained permit and application growth supports revenue assumptions and targeted staffing increases.

Key numbers: staff said the department processed more than 8,400 permits and enforcement cases through December, projects about 13.6% year‑over‑year volume growth for the current year and a projected surplus of roughly $5 million that staff proposes to carry into next year’s revenue assumptions. The budget slidepack presented fee‑based revenues growing from roughly $35 million to more than $42 million under three assumptions: continued high volume, 4% growth, and a CPI adjustment.

Personnel: staff asked for 14 new FTEs in 2016–17 (annualizing to 19 in 2017–18). The requests are organized into four buckets: project review backlog (majority of positions), policy initiatives (housing policy, legacy business, transportation demand management), process improvements (operations analyst, document/process work), and community outreach positions. Staff also proposes two additional architectural positions and more enforcement planners devoted to short‑term rentals and code enforcement.

Commissioners pressed for additional breakdowns: Commissioner Moore asked for line‑item detail on materials/supplies increases and assurance that commission support staff resources are clear; Commissioner Richards requested performance measures tied to the new process improvement roles; Commissioner Wu asked whether the Filipino Cultural Heritage District work was included and staff agreed to clarify funding sources.

Next steps: staff will return with final motions at the subsequent hearing and the department noted the Mayor’s Office timeline for budget submission (departments due Feb. 22; Mayor submits June 1; Board of Supervisors final action in late July).