Jeff Bengilly, Oxnard City Community Development Director, briefed the council on the department’s organization, staffing and recent performance improvements, saying the department includes Building & Engineering, Planning and Code Compliance and employs 70 full‑time staff.

Bengilly said the Building Division has 21 full‑time employees and one vacancy, and the engineering working group has 10 full‑time employees and two vacancies. He described the building group’s responsibilities as plan checking, permitting and inspections for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing codes.

"The division's overarching goal is to ensure the safety of new building construction and infrastructure by verifying a project's compliance with adopted codes, ordinances, policies, and design guidelines," Bengilly said.

He reported the department performed more than 25,000 building inspections in 2025 and served over 10,000 in‑person customers plus about 2,600 online users. Bengilly said processing timelines for plan check have improved roughly 40% since 2022 after sustained budget resources, consulting contracts and filling vacancies.

The presentation highlighted permit programs intended to streamline service. The long‑running permit fast‑track offers a one‑hour plan check by appointment for small business projects at no extra fee, while a residential fast‑track launched in January 2025 aims to expedite accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and other small residential projects.

Bengilly said the department has implemented new technology planning, including migration to a modern enterprise permitting and licensing (EPL) system module, which he said will reduce paper handling and provide customers real‑time plan check status and inspection scheduling.

He closed by saying department staff will be available at the Jan. 6, 2026 appointment item to answer council questions.

The presentation was informational; no votes or motions were recorded in the transcript.