FOAC accepts follow‑up audit: Planning & Inspections updates permit manual, adds ACA guidance

Miguel Montiel introduced the Planning & Inspections permit review follow‑up audit; Daniel Chavira, program manager with Planning & Inspections, reported the department updated a manual that had not been revised since 2010 and implemented the audit’s single recommendation with four sub‑items.

Chavira said the revised manual, dated August 2025, clarifies roles and responsibilities, lists required documents for commercial and residential permits, consolidates multiple workflow charts into a smaller set, and includes step‑by‑step instructions for electronic submittals via the Accela Citizen Access portal. "We consolidated a lot of those workflow charts," Chavira said, and staff are working with IT to make ACA instructions available online.

Committee members confirmed this was a follow‑up to the Oct. 22, 2024 audit and asked about the timing. Auditors said the department trained plan examiners and inspectors on Oct. 22, 2025, and trained one‑stop‑shop staff on Oct. 12, 2025. Staff explained the release was delayed a few weeks to ensure completeness and to avoid issuing an incomplete manual that would require frequent corrections.

A committee member noted past concerns in the city about payoffs in an unrelated department and asked whether these manual updates would add guardrails to reduce the risk of misconduct. Chavira said the manual is a first step toward clearer procedures for staff and the public and can be used as a model for broader city improvements.

The committee moved to accept the follow‑up audit and voted unanimously to do so, 4–0.