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REQUEST FOR <br />COUNCIL ACTION <br />CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: <br />NOVEMBER 18, 2014 <br />TITLE: <br />APPROPRIATION ADJUSTMENT TO <br />RECOGNIZE ADDITIONAL PLANNING AND <br />BUILDING AGENCY REVENUE AND <br />RESOLUTION TO ADD BUILDING SAFETY <br />POSITIONS TO THE FY 14 -15 BUDGET <br />(STRATEGIC PLAN NOS. 3, C; 5, 3; 4, 2A} <br />CITY MANAQ#k <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY: <br />APPROVED <br />❑ As Recommended <br />❑ <br />As Amended <br />❑ <br />Ordinance on 1° Reading <br />❑ <br />Ordinance on 2"0 Reading <br />❑ <br />Implementing Resolution <br />❑ <br />Set Public Hearing For <br />CONTINUED TO <br />FILE NUMBER <br />Approve an Appropriation Adjustment recognizing $393,000 in additional Planning and <br />Building Agency Revenue. <br />2. Adopt a resolution amending the City's basic classification and compensation plan and to <br />amend the Fiscal Year 2014 -2015 annual budget to create four Building Safety positions. <br />DISCUSSION <br />For many years the Building Division met or exceeded a turnaround time of three weeks or less <br />for over 90 percent of plan check submissions. This level of service compared favorably with <br />surrounding municipalities and represented the generally accepted performance goal for plan <br />review in the County. The Building Division had attained this level of service with seven in -house <br />plan check staff, a contract plan checker at the public counter, streamlined internal processes, <br />and outsourcing plan checking services during especially high volume months. <br />Beginning in 2009, budget constraints resulted in the reduction of over 50 percent of in -house <br />plan check staff, as well as the cancelation of both the contract plan checker and outsourced plan <br />check services. These reductions negatively impacted plan check turnaround times. Although the <br />impact was lessened by a concurrent reduction in plan check submittals due to the economic <br />downturn, the addition of new state regulations pertaining to Green Building, Energy, Accessibility <br />and evolving provisions of existing codes further increased the review time required for most <br />projects. <br />Building permit applications and inspection activity have steadily increased since 2010 as major <br />development projects that were put on hold during the recession have restarted and new projects <br />are being proposed. There are a number of large residential and commercial projects in various <br />phases of the planning, design and construction process within the City including: <br />55B -1 <br />