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Porterville council approves consolidation of planning and engineering; 19 positions at risk amid plan to outsource technical work
Summary
The Porterville City Council voted 4-1 to consolidate Community Development, Engineering and Project Management into a single Planning and Engineering Department and authorize a transition to consultant-delivered plan review and inspections, a move staff says will streamline services but that opponents say will cost institutional knowledge and 19 jobs.
The Porterville City Council voted 4-1 on March 17 to approve a proposed reorganization consolidating the Community Development, Engineering and Project Management departments into a single Planning and Engineering Department and authorizing a new service-delivery model that relies on outside consultants for many technical functions.
City Manager Richard Tree told the council the model is aimed at “fixing how development services are delivered” by aligning staff to workload, improving responsiveness and establishing a clear point of accountability. Tree said the proposal is intended to be “net 0 initially,” and that the city will begin a meet-and-confer process with affected bargaining units before final personnel actions are taken.
Opponents — including many City of Porterville employees who spoke during the public comment period — said the plan will strip institutional…
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