HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 1460City of Palo Alto (ID # 1460)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Study SessionMeeting Date: 3/21/2011
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Summary Title: Development Center Blueprint
Title: Development Center Blueprint Study Session
From:City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council provide comment to staff on the direction discussed in this
report on the Blueprint for Development Center (DC) Change.
Background
In July 2010, the City Manager launched a comprehensive project to streamline and modernize
the City of Palo Alto’s permit process focusing on improving the customer satisfaction and
regulatory efficiency. This study session provides a midpoint check in with Council before the
Blueprint project is completed in July this year.
The City Manager’s Office is overseeing the project, which is managed day to day by an in-
house manager, Yvonne Sheets-Saucedo, from the Development Center. In addition, staff is
using a consultant with extensive experience nationally with the development and permit
processes which provides the opportunity to implement ideas and projects already proven
successful in other communities. At the core of the project, however, are three focus groups
summarized below and discussed in greater detail in Attachment A to this report:
1. Development Center Customer Advisory Group (DCCAG)—This group is comprised of
Development Center users such as architects, homeowners, contractors and other frequent
customers. This group provides the feedback to ensure that the recommendations are
responsive to the real life experiences of the customer.
2. Staff Action Team (SAT)—This team is made up of key staff representatives from all the
departments with a role in the development process or customer interface. This group
brainstorms programs and process improvements to facilitate inter-department coordination
enhancing the customer’s experience to improve communications with the public and reduced
permit delays.
3. Staff Steering Committee (SSC)—This committee contains Executive Leadership members
from the departments involved with the development process. The SSC ensures that the
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Blueprint Project and program ideas generated by the DCCAG and the SAT are implemented
and mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability and allocation of adequate resources.
Discussion
The Development Center Blueprint team is expected to complete its recommendations to the
Council by July 2011. Much of the feedback from the DC users to date has been focused on
process and system issues within the City Manager’s authority to modify, so few of the
recommended changes are expected to involve code amendments or legislative actions by
Council. Blueprint recommendations are, however, expected to involve organizational and
budget changes which will likely require Council action.
Once the process improvments and management structures are implemented beginning in July,
however, any code or legislative changes deemed necessary will be brought forward. The
committee work thus far has resulted in three findings listed below and work has already begun
on their implementation ahead of the final Blueprint recommendations.
Issue: Lack of accountability for Development Center day-to-day operations and customer service.
Staff Actions:
@ Create a single manager for Development Center to carry out the mission across departments.
Currently DC staff reports to their respective departments.
@ All staff interacting with customer should be physically located at the DC.
@ The DC operating unit will be responsible for collecting and reporting performance results.
Departmental managers and supervisors will be responsible to monitor staff performance
and correct issues.
Issue: Individual Project Management is a desirable service not currently provided. Project
Management would provide a central point of contact and in house advocate for qualifying
projects. Currently staffing levels do not provide the resources to implement this service.
Staff Actions:
@ Create adequate project management staffing to carry-out the Blueprint objective for all
levels of customer service.
@ Beginning in early April, staff will implement project management services as a pilot to
determine necessary program modifications prior to the Blueprint final report in July.
@ To insure equitable customer access to the service a tiered approach will be implemented.
Project management levels would include:
o Level 1: Customer routing, simple information requests and simple permits (e.g.
residents and homeowners)
o Level 2: Complex information requests and counter-based projects (e.g. -simple
residential)
o Level 3: Complex project management for submittal-based project (e.g. -complex
residential and commercial)
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Issue: Customer volume and workloads dominate staff resources. Continuing budgetary constraints
on staff and other resources limit resources needed to match workload volumes and consistently
deliver reliable and predictable customer service. A funding mechanism is needed to address
volumes as well as to sustain the implementation of new services such as project management.
Staff Actions:
@ Transition Development Center funding to a Special Revenue Fund thereby separating
itself from the General Fund. Allow for the year end fund balances to carry-over from
year-to-year to create a “reserve” for seasonal workload variations.
@ Adopt a funding approach that strives to set fees at the actual cost of providing services,
including direct salary expense, departmental overhead and citywide overhead expenses.
@ Create an ongoing customer group to monitor the special revenue fund and system
performance and provide feedback to the City Manager’s Office and City Council.
The Blueprint Piloting Program is very comprehensive and will include testing new processes,
measuring staff capacity, evaluating technology and publications, identifying training needs and
conducting surveys for “real time” customer feedback. The Piloting Program will enable staff to
generate performance standards so metrics can be established when the program is
permanently implemented. Staff expects that the piloting activity, starting in April through July,
will provide the necessary data to refine criteria and resources needed to implement a fully
intergated system to ensure that all levels of customer interaction are addressed. Moreover,
the pilot program will provide staff valuable customer feedback that will be a significant factor
in how the permanent program is promoted and launched to the public later this year.
Prepared By:Steve Emslie, Deputy City Manager
Department Head:James Keene, City Manager
City Manager Approval: James Keene, City Manager