AGENDA DATE: 11/4/2015
TITLE:
Title
Community Development Work Program - Additional Information
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Update the Community Development Work Program for the period of 2016-2020
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Foley, Walker, Davis, Graham, Benish, McCulley, Cilimberg
PRESENTER (S): Graham
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Thomas C. Foley
BACKGROUND: A proposed work program was reviewed and discussed by the Board in October, 2015. That report is provided as Attachment A. Following its discussion, the Board showed an interest in an expanded work program and requested additional information on staff resource capacity needed to undertake potential work program initiatives beyond what was submitted. The purpose of this work session is to review that additional information with the Board and to seek endorsement of a work program.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Goal 7. Operational Capacity. Ensure County government’s ability to provide high quality service that achieves community priorities
DISCUSSION: Staff has analyzed each of the requested initiatives and compiled the information set forth in this Executive Summary and Attachment B. Attachment B provides a list of the initiatives and the resources anticipated to complete each initiative, expressed both in terms of work hours and full time equivalents, assuming the work is done in one year. Additionally, the far right column of the chart includes staff’s estimate as to whether the outcome of each initiative is likely to increase or decrease future resource demands. That is to avoid the Board being surprised to find an initiative may result in additional requests for staff. Staff is not providing an estimate of what the future resource demands will be, as the extent of those demands will be determined by future program decisions. However, this becomes important in considering future capacity. For example, staff notes a recent news article that stated Richmond’s proposal for transient lodging would require 3 FTEs to administer. If the transient lodging initiative in the County requires 1 FTE to administer, implementing this new program would require that a choice be made between: 1) adding staff to Community Development, 2) ending something else, or 3) some combination of the two. There was some question as to whether the Board wanted staff’s analysis of the Dark Skies initiative, so that information is provided separately at the bottom of the table. Please note there may well be staff impacts in other departments outside of Community Development. Community engagement, for example, is becoming a central part of policy development and should be expected to be integral to any new community development initiatives. Similarly, the County Attorney’s Office will be obligated to provide essential legal support in conjunction with policy implementation and code enforcement.
As noted in Attachment B, working on all of the initiatives would require between .75 and 1 full time employee (FTE). This would be accomplished by first training a new planner to assume basic responsibilities, then freeing experienced staff to spend time on the initiatives. The Community Development Department (CDD) has recommended a new planner as its highest priority for FY17. Assuming this position were funded for FY17, CDD anticipates it could be filled in 2-3 months and the new planner would need a minimum of six months of training before freeing others to work on these initiatives. Paradoxically, during that training period, work capacity goes down rather than up, as time must be diverted to training the new person. This timeline makes the increased capacity available early in calendar year 2017. Alternatively, the Board may choose to re-prioritize work activity previously identified in the work plan in order to free up existing capacity to address new priority initiatives. Any re-prioritizing of current capacity would require a corresponding adjustment to the work plan. Please note the Work Plan initiatives timeline included as Attachment C.
Finally, staff has estimated the Crossroad Community plans would require .5 FTE of a Rural Areas planner for approximately three years to complete seven community plans. A Rural Areas planner has also been prioritized for FY17 and it is assumed that this work would commence when that position is filled.
BUDGET IMPACT: The October work program was developed based on currently available resources, without any assumption of additional funding. Adding a planner for implementation of the proposed initiatives is estimated to have a FY17 expense of $73, 417 and ongoing annual expense of $68,967. The Rural Areas planner needed for the Crossroad Communities would have a similar expense. Any additional staff resource impacts, as noted in the discussion above, have not been quantified.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff requests that the Board review the provided information, note any desired changes to the work program, then direct CDD staff to proceed with the implementation of the work program. Work on new initiatives would begin as the capacity became available either through the addition of a new staff position and explained above or through the re-allocation of current staff resources and corresponding adjustment to the anticipated timing of identified work plan priorities. Staff believes that any decision to increase funding for new staffing should be made in the context of the 5-Year Financial Plan and annual budget process.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A - October 7, 2015 Executive Summary
Attachment B - Time Estimates
Attachment C - Work Program Estimates