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Excerpts of Planning Commission Minutes UNAPPROVEDIDRAFT Apri123, 2009 Agenda No. 09-08 Page 3 of 5 possible. In the end, a merger would reduce overall staff time, particularly the overtime involved in evening meetings. It would reduce the overall number of agenda packets and streamline the logistics of preparing agendas, although applications to a large extent drive the workload of both the Planning Commission and the BZA. Over the long term, training costs would be reduced (and the Community Development Department does want to reinstate funding for Planning Commissioners to participate in the Planning Commissioners Institute). At the same time, however, some additional training would be required if the Planning Commission and BZA were to merge. Code enforcement appeals that are now heard by the BZA (weed abatement, construction in violation of building codes or without permits, Police Department actions, etc.) might be handled by a subcommission to keep agendas manageable. The merger could be phased in over the course of several months. Meetings might have to be limited to a reasonable duration, and greater care taken in establishing agendas that are not overly ambitious. Some applicants might have to be told that they cannot get on the agenda when they want to, although that runs counter to the business-friendly reputation San Leandro has cultivated. The Zoning Code may be amended to extend the circumstances under which decisions could be made by administrative review rather than BZA action. For example, he said that it may not always be necessary to have recycling businesses in industrial areas go before the BZA if they are properly screened. The overwhelming majority of cities San Leandro's size have only a Planning Commission, which hears both policy and zone change items as well as variances, exceptions and other types of items that our BZA hears. Larger cities (Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose) have separate bodies, but those with populations of up to 150,000 or 200,000 usually have only one body, the Planning Commission. Chair Dlugosh invited Commissioners' comments. Commissioner Ponder said he enjoys going to the League of California Cities Planning Commissioners Institute because it affords the opportunity to talk to other Planning Commissioners across the State. He has the impression that there is a tremendous variety in the composition of Planning Commissions and the ways they do business. In some cities, Commissioners pick up packets rather than having them delivered. Thus, he asked if there are ways to cut costs without merging the two bodies. He said that he would be happy to download packets from the Internet rather than having them delivered. He also asked, "What do we cost?" He considers San Leandro's a "Cadillac" system, with both a BZA and a Planning Commission. Mr. Sims said that the costs of mailing and photocopying come to about $12,000 annually in Planning Services. The biggest area of cost that might be avoidable is in the administrative staff time spent in support of the Planning Commission and the BZA, which he currently pegs at approximately $80,000 including wages and benefits. Secretary Livermore noted that while all Planning Commissioners have email addresses, not every BZA member does. To email packets would require some time spent in getting plans converted into PDF files; Commissioners would have to think about whether they want to see plans in that format or to be able to spread them out. Commissioner Ponder said that limiting agendas or delaying hearing applications might save money, but he is uncomfortable with the idea of telling people they have to wait months and months. When he began on the Planning Commission there were lots of projects and late meetings. It isn't that way now. He wonders if there might be some flexibility built in to the system to perhaps merge the two bodies now but then change back if and when circumstances warrant. Mr. Sims said that he believes if the BZA were to be eliminated (by title, at least, because State law requires every city to have a Planning Commission), a mechanism could probably be left in place to bring it back, depending on the language of Municipal Code amendments. However, he said, a challenge looking forward is the fact that local governments fundamentally must do business more efficiently and