San Mateo County Planning and Building Division
Findings:
Staff is in agreement with the Grand Jury’s findings.
Recommendations:
1. Follow through with the formal training program for new Current Planning employees and allow ample time to learn regulations before handling customer inquiries.
Response: Concur. The Planning and Building Division is committed to training new employees. The Current Planning Section is recruiting to fill three vacancies in the near future. With this recruitment, the Current Planning Section will have the opportunity to initiate and complete the Division’s training program with each of the new employees. The program will include instruction provided by senior staff in their areas of expertise and other relevant planning topics. The training program will also include assigning senior staff to mentor new employees. We believe that ample time is required to fully understand complex Planning regulations. Before a new employee is assigned counter or phone duty, an assessment by senior staff will be completed to insure new employees exceed a minimum level of competence for those responsibilities.
2. Immediately set up an express line for picking up and processing simple permits in the Planning and Building lobby.
Response: Concur. The Planning and Building staff are taking the necessary steps to develop a work plan for implementing this recommendation. Through feedback provided in customer surveys, the Planning and Building Division identified the need for an express line service for picking up permits and simple permits. This recommendation is one of the program priorities identified for the Development Review Services group for next fiscal year. Staff believes this recommendation will be fully implemented within 60 to 90 days.
3. Immediately raise awareness of the fax-in and mail-in options as well as the on-line permit status through the website, brochures, automated phone messages and personal contact with the applicants.
Response: Concur. The Planning and Building Division staff is currently in the process of implementing this recommendation. Staff is developing a new brochure that identifies the different methods for the public to contact the Division, submit applications and review application status on-line. In addition, as part of the Division’s community outreach and information program, phone messages will be updated to reflect options for submitting permits.
4. Expand the use of fax and e-mail in the Planning and Building Division to facilitate and expedite the processing of permits and responses to customer inquiries.
Response: Concur. The Planning and Building Division staff is currently in the process of implementing this recommendation. Staff will notify customers of the option of providing a fax number in order to expedite plan check review comments and/or responses to customer inquiries.
5. Improve accessibility to the web site by creating better links from the County’s home page.
Response: Concur. The Planning and Building Division management staff is currently developing a work program and budget with the Information Services Department (ISD) to improve the Planning and Building Division’s web site links, and will work with the County Manager’s Office (CMO) and ISD to make necessary improvements to comply with established guidelines for the County’s homepage.
6. Immediately solicit written feedback from architects, contractors, and homeowners on recommendation for improving the application process.
Response: Planning and Building management staff is currently developing a work program and assigning responsibilities to develop a survey form and method for soliciting comments and suggestions from the public to improve the application process.
The status of these responses will be reported to the Board in a future Grand Jury update.
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