HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-023
RESOLUTION NO. 04-023
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND,
WASHINGTON, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO PROCEED ON AN
INTERIM BASIS WITH IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES TO THE
BUILDING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS
WHEREAS, on January 7, 2004, the City Manager retained Prothman Company
(Seattle) as a consultant to conduct interviews with staffs of the Building and Community
Development and Public Works Departments, users of the permit system, and decision
makers, and former staff members, to assess perceptions that the permit system in the
City of Port Townsend does not always adequately serve citizens (permit applicants) in a
fair, predictable, timely, and consistent manner, and further to report on the outcome of
interviews together with any recommendations. Prothamn assigned Jim Harris, a retired
Planning Services Director with the City of Kent, to conduct the interviews and make a
report.
WHEREAS, Mr. Harris concluded in a report called "Guidelines for Change to
the City of Port Townsend's Permit System" ("Guidelines") that the perceptions in fact
do have some truth to them, and made a number of recommendations for changes in the
"Guidelines" and in a report entitled "Port Townsend Permit System Proposed Task
Force Work Program (Jim Harris, May 8, 2004)" ("Task Force Program"); and
WHEREAS, following review ofMr. Harris' Guidelines and Task Force
Program, the City Manager made recommendations for changes in development review
and permitting in a report entitled "City Manager's Proposal for Development Review
and Permitting Reform (2004-2005)" ("City Manager Report"), based on a number of
factors stated in the Report, including:
1. The pace of development within the City, and the growing complexity of code-
mandated development review have historically outstripped the resources and
capabilities of the City's staff and its permitting and regulatory systems, and this
trend continues; and
2. Over the past two decades hundreds of pages of environmental and subdivision
regulations, engineering standards, ordinances, shoreline rules, GMA and zoning
regulations have been added to the municipal code. Unfortunately, this has been
done without the provision of adequate resources, training, systems and leadership
required to manage and administer the administrative requirements contained in
these provisions; and
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Resolution 04-023
3. Port Townsend has development regulations as complex as those for a mid to
large size city, with small city resources. This is both hindering desirable
economic development and is creating situations where undesirable development
is allowed to occur due to code inconsistencies and staff errors or
misinterpretations; and
4. Change to the development review and permitting process, the underlying code,
and the systems and organizational structure is both necessary and desirable.
Balance must be achieved between code driven expectations and resources
committed to meeting those expectations if the public's perception is to be
changed; and
5. Change must occur in such a way that ongoing review and permitting is not
significantly degraded, and other mandated responsibilities are met; and
6. The City is currently embarked on a significant capital improvements program, is
experiencing a substantial surge in private development, is facing State mandated
planning updates, and continues to add to its own code with new ordinances
which also require staff administration; and
7. While several focused studies have been performed over the past four years, and a
few improvements have been made, the City has not performed a comprehensive
analysis of all of the problems associated with development review and
permitting, nor has it created a framework to plan and implement change.
8. The City Manager recommends initial steps required to both begin the process of
change and to maintain the integrity of the ongoing process as changes occur; and
9. The City Manager and his senior staff can perform the initial steps that are
required, if given the concurrence and full support of the City Council. These
steps include the instruction and empowerment of senior staff to proactivcly
address the issues in a structured process that leads to change. That process will
be led by a change agent retained to lead the group; and
10. The City Manager should also be authorized to make several near term significant
organizational changes, to both meet current demand, and to facilitate the change
proccss; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager in the "City Manager Report" identifies problems
necessitating changes in development review and permitting, including: overlapping and
inconsistent codes; uneven applications; inadequate resources; too many responsibilities
for the BCD Director; overlapping responsibilities and resources between Public Works,
BCD and Fire Department; lack of integration of various regulatory processes and codes;
and
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Resolution 04-023
WHEREAS, the City Manager in the "City Manager Report" makes
recommendations for changes in development review and permitting, including:
eliminate the BCD Department as currently configured; create a separate Planning
Department; appoint an interim SEP A of1ìcial; create a Development Services
Department, and re-define the role, and other actions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
Port Townsend, that the City Council, based on the recommendation of the City Manager:
1. Authorizes the City Manager to proceed, on an interim basis, with implementing
organizational changes to the Building and Community Development and Public
Works Departments, consistent with the City Manager's Proposal for
Development Review and Permitting Reform (2004-2005), referred to as the "City
Manager's Report."
2. Authorizes the City Manager to address long-term structural issues related to
development review and permitting, consistent with the City Manager's Report.
3. Authorizes the City Manager to execute necessary contracts and documents to
implement the recommended changes in the City Manager's Report, consistent
with the approved budget. This includes the hiring of an interim building official.
Any action to combine City and County building departments is subject to further
Council approvaL
4. Authorizes the City Manager, on an interim basis, to serve as the Acting Director
ofthe Building and Community Development Department ("BCD Director") and
carry out the responsibilities and functions of the BCD Director as provided by the
Port Townsend Municipal Code. The City Manager shall serve in this capacity
pending Council action that implements any final changes to the organization and
responsibilities of City Departments related to planning and development services.
The City Manager is authorized to delegate specific tasks and responsibilities to a
designee or designees.
5. Directs the City Manager to periodically update the Council on interim actions,
and to present final proposed organizational changes to the City Council following
the review process. The Council specifìcally recognizes and accepts the
recommendation in the City Manager's Report that the success of the effort to
effect change must occur within proper chains of command, and specifìcally, that
employee comment on these matters should go up the chain of command to the
City Manager, that employee contact on these matters with City Councilors is
outside the chain of command and should not occur, and that City Councilor
actions or comments before formal proposals are put before the City Council by
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Resolution 04-023
the City Manager would negatively interfere with the process the Council is
authorizing the City Manager to undertake.
ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Port Townsend at a regular
meeting thereof, held this twenty-fourth day of May, 2004__--2
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Catharine Robinson, Mayor
Attest:
Approved as to form:
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Pamela Kolacy, CMC Þ
City Clerk
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John P. Watts
City Attorney
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Resolution 04-023