Charles County work group recommends single‑point permitting navigator, pre‑permit meetings to speed small business approvals

Charles County staff and business partners presented a multi‑part plan March 10 to shorten and clarify the commercial permitting process for small businesses, capped by a request for one new FY27 position to act as a single point of contact for applicants.

Jason Groth, director of Planning and Growth Management, introduced the Small Business Permitting Work Group’s recommendations, which staff said were driven by interviews with real‑estate professionals, property managers, design professionals and business owners. Ray Shoemaker, chief of codes, permits and inspection services, summarized the work group’s review of the county’s current commercial permitting workflow and outlined three common scenarios small businesses encounter: unchanged use with no construction, a use change that may require construction and plan review, and administrative changes such as ownership transfer.

Common pain points staff identified included inconsistent information across reviewers, multiple handoffs, business owners not being included in communications handled by design professionals, and delays when resubmissions trigger new review cycles. The work group proposed a two‑phase implementation:

Phase 1 (near term): overhaul PGM permitting pages and create a small‑business specific portal with updated permit guides and flow charts, short informational videos, and a requirement that the business owner be listed as a contact on permit applications so they receive all correspondence.

Phase 2 (process change and FY27 budget ask): create a small business permitting navigator (one full‑time position requested in the FY27 budget) to serve as liaison between applicants, PGM reviewers and external agencies (health department, fire marshal, PDRB). Staff said the navigator would perform periodic check‑ins, coordinate mandatory meetings if a permit stalls past several reviews, and help triage minor resubmittals so they can be handled more quickly.

Chamber of Commerce president Kathy Guzman backed the recommendations, saying a navigator and clearer upfront guidance would reduce delays and wrong permit types being filed. Commissioners asked about reporting structure and whether the navigator should sit in PGM or county administration; staff said the job description is drafted to report to a deputy‑director level within PGM to preserve subject‑matter knowledge while giving broader departmental reach.

Why it matters: County staff framed the plan as a customer‑service improvement with potential to reduce time‑to‑open for small businesses and reduce calls to commissioners about perceived county delays. Staff also warned that some delays come from external review bodies (state stormwater rules, PDRB) and from applicants or third‑party reviewers, and that not all time can be eliminated.

Next steps: The work group and staff will incorporate commissioner feedback as they finalize website design, job description and FY27 budget requests. If funded, staff said the navigator would be one tool to proactively manage permits and reduce resubmittal cycles.