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Board approves amended plan to add planning staff after analyst recommends smaller staffing package
Summary
The Board approved an amended supplemental appropriation for the Planning Department to address a backlog of permits, agreeing with the Budget & Legislative Analyst to fund eight of 10 requested limited-term positions now and revisit additional staffing during the June budget process.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget & Finance Subcommittee on March 6 approved an amended supplemental appropriation to help the Planning Department reduce a multi‑hundred‑project backlog.
Planning Director John Ram told the committee the department has more than 400 projects in its pipeline and asked for a supplemental appropriation of about $3.2 million and 10 limited‑term positions to accelerate permit and case reviews and to support digitization and a new project tracking system. "Many very large projects have come in for approvals," Ram said, urging the board to allow hiring to begin quickly so staff can catch up.
The Budget & Legislative Analyst, citing vacancy data, recommended a smaller package. Analyst Mr. Rose asked the board to approve eight of the 10 requested positions and to require that new limited‑term positions be limited to a maximum tenure consistent with the salary ordinance. The analyst flagged about 3.28 vacant planner positions in the permit‑processing division and recommended that departments first fill existing vacancies before adding new headcount.
Chair Supervisor Mark Farrell said he was sympathetic to both arguments and moved to amend the request to reflect the BLA's recommendations. Supervisor John Avalos supported approving eight positions now and reviewing additional needs as part of the June budget cycle. Director Ram said the department has been actively recruiting and had taken multiple steps to fill existing vacancies but reiterated that the hiring process takes time.
After discussion and brief public comment, the committee approved the amended ordinances without opposition. The amendment directs the department to fill prioritized positions and limits the scope of the supplemental appropriation consistent with the analyst's recommendations. The committee also directed staff to return with information on space, timeline for hiring, and planned use of technology to reduce processing time.
What happens next: The changes approved by the subcommittee will be forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors as amended, and the department said it will begin recruitment for the authorized positions immediately.
