Director announces mid‑March retirement; staff previews permitting changes and software migration

During the director’s report, staff announced that the department director will retire in mid‑March after more than 36 years with the city; staff said the city manager is forming interview committees and intends to include planning commission representation in the recruitment process.

Staff also reported leadership changes at the council level: Dr. Steve Woodard was selected by council members to serve as mayor for 2026 and Brian Wall will remain mayor pro tem. The director noted community reaction to a recent social-media post explaining parking rules and said the underlying code has not changed since 2007, though the post prompted public comment.

On operations, staff said the department is planning three free public training sessions to help residents and contractors with permitting topics and will expand over‑the‑counter permit issuance for small electrical and building work. Staff described the city’s permitting-system rollout: TrackIt (Central Square) is the back-end solution, the city will replace the front-end portal to improve user experience, and staff are working through expected integration and transition issues.

Staff said they will continue incremental improvements to reduce fees and streamline minor permitting where appropriate, and will report back on software and process improvements as the implementation continues.