RulesCommunications Highlights 2009 0526

Home

Excerpts of Planning Commission Minutes UNAPPROVED/DRAFT Apri123, 2009 Agenda No. 09-08 Page 2 of S through the Housing Element of the General Plan as well as other policies, first-time homebuyers program, single-family rehab program and the Everyone Home program to end homelessness (at county level with other cities) ~ Planning Services -development review and plan check in synch with Building Services, plan reviews for building permits, zoning ordinance administration, implementation of General Plan and Land Use policies (such as the TOD Strategy), Housing Element (with Housing Services), majar project review entitlements such as Kaiser Permanente, green building, CEQA compliance and community design standards oversight. Obviously, Mr. Sims said, the Planning Commission and BZA are integral parts of all of those activities and the decisions that are made, either through setting policies or reviewing development projects that are large enough or sensitive enough to require review. Mr. Sims then shifted to talking about how San Leandro's budget situation affects the Community Development Department and leads to the discussion about a possible merger of the Planning Commission and the BZA. The City is facing a relatively modest increase in expenditures but a significant reduction in revenue -about $11.4 million going into next year. The City's fund balance was $25 million in 2006-2007; we will end this fiscal year on June 30, 2009, with a balance of about $11.3 million. Without reducing expenditures, at the end of the next fiscal year (June 30, 2010) very little would remain ($300,000); because that would be irresponsible from a fiduciary point of view, the City Council intends to see that it does not fall so low. Accordingly, a combination of measures will be taken to reduce expenditures to about $75 million, approximately $9 million lower than current spending. In this scenario, expenditures would still exceed revenues and thus dip into the fund balance, but by not as much. Taking expense-reduction measures would leave some $8 million in the reserve fund as of the end of 2009-2010. The City Council and City Manager have asked fora 15% cut from the General Fund portion of the Community Development Department budget. Much of the department operates on Redevelopment Agency funds and federal funds, but a 15% reduction in the General Fund portion translates into about $508,000. Community Development already has eliminated funding for attendance at the League of California Cities Planning Commissioners Institute and for staff travel (except what is necessary to maintain certificates that certain staff have). Neither Building Services nor Planning Services -the two Community Development Department divisions that depend most on General Fund money -has much flexibility on non-staff expenditures because most of their expenses are staff-related (wages and benefits). Thus, Community Development is eliminating three positions that are currently vacant (one Planner, one Administrative Assistant and one Senior Building Inspector) except for the part-time services of a retired building inspector and a contract planner through June 30. The department is also considering eliminating a part-time permit clerk position in Planning Services and afull-time permit clerk who works in Planning Services as well as Building Services and Housing Services and plays a major role in business license review. As a result of these cuts, Mr. Sims anticipates significant delays in planning and zoning entitlements. We currently pride ourselves in processing applications within two to three months; the cuts would make that four to six months. He also anticipates serious delays in issues related to planning policy, Zoning Code and General Plan changes and special planning projects. He said the cuts would eliminate same-day building inspection services and over-the counter zoning reviews, and probably cut Planning Services counter hours by half. Calls coming in on the Planner-of--the-Day (POD) line would not be answered immediately. There also would be delays in both providing and updating property and permit information. Business license reviews would be delayed. The Rent Review program would be suspended. The job fair held in conjunction with Oakland would be eliminated. As for the possible merger of the Planning Commission and the BZA, he said that some time-consuming work would be involved in amending the Municipal Code and Zoning Code to make such a merger