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Planning Commission urges accountability, portal integration after Baker Tilly review
Summary
The Planning Commission presented a Baker Tilly report with 51 recommendations to streamline development services and urged quarterly oversight, portal integration across departments, and consideration of a development‑services director or project‑manager approach to reduce permit delays.
A Planning Commission representative reported to the Transportation & Planning Committee on July 1 about progress implementing recommendations in the Baker Tilly Development Services Process Review.
The commission, which reviewed a 95‑page Baker Tilly report, asked for continued oversight. Commissioners recommended a one‑page matrix tracking each of the 51 recommendations by department (done/in progress/NA), quarterly reporting to the committee, and greater portal integration so applicants can follow projects across Planning, Public Works, Environmental Health and Fire.
Planning staff and Environmental Health described steps already taken: Planning has moved several application types onto the portal (site-development review and other applications), and Environmental Health reported it is finalizing contract paperwork for Mainstar to integrate its permitting workflows. Public Works has advanced portal features as well. Commissioner presenters urged that project managers in Planning help shepherd complex applications across departments to reduce delays.
Supervisors acknowledged progress but asked for an exception report (applications older than 90/120/365 days) and a dashboard summarizing aging applications and the 51 recommendations by department. Counsel warned that some structural recommendations (for example, creating a director with authority across independent departments) may face legal and charter limits and would require further legal review.
Next steps: staff agreed to produce a compact matrix of the 51 Baker Tilly recommendations with per‑department status, supply an aging/exceptions report from the portal, and return with further updates and proposed ordinance steps as appropriate.
