AGENDA DATE: 8/1/2018
TITLE:
Title
Housing Principal Planner
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Request to hire 1 FTE Housing Planner beginning in October 2018 in order to provide for training and succession planning before the Chief of Housing’s retirement in July 2019.
ITEM TYPE: Consent Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Graham, Allshouse L.
PRESENTER (S): N/A
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this agenda item is to request that the Board authorize the Community Development Department (CDD) to hire one Full Time Employee (FTE) for the remainder of FY19. This request anticipates the planned retirement of the Chief of Housing in July 2019 and the overlap will assure continuity of important services.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Quality Government Operations: Ensure County government’s capacity to provide high quality service that achieves community priorities
DISCUSSION: CDD recently assumed responsibility for the housing policy and grant functions that have routinely been provided by the Chief of Housing, Ron White. Mr. White has informed County leadership of his plans to retire in July 2019. During his tenure with the County, Mr. White has successfully obtained and managed millions of dollars in housing-related grants providing significant support for affordable housing in the County.
As part of considering how the housing function should be managed in the future, Community Development proposes to discontinue the Chief of Housing position and replace it with a Principal Planner specializing in housing issues. This approach would be modeled after CDD’s current management of transportation functions.
Presently, the Community Development Department has no other staff experienced with housing grants or many of the other housing functions currently managed by the Chief of Housing position. Hiring the Housing Planner position will allow for succession related training to staff in CDD and also in the Office of Management and Budget as it relates to grants management.
With the above in mind, Community Development proposes accelerating the hiring of the Housing Principal Planner to provide an eight to nine month overlap with the planned retirement of the Chief of Housing. This tactic assures an adequate period of time for the transfer of institutional history and avoids disruption to grants management processes and affordable housing related projects such as Alberene and Southwood. This will also assure the County maintains strong relationships with key partners such as the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, AHIP, PHA.
BUDGET IMPACT: Funding of this overlap is expected to require a one-time cost of $76,074. Costs in FY 20 and beyond will be less than current year budgeted expenses as the proposed Housing Principal Planner position is a lower paygrade than the Chief of Housing. Staff proposes this onetime cost be funded from the County’s Reserve for Contingency, with the possibility that some of this cost may be absorbed by the FY 19 Community Development appropriation as a result of vacant positions above and beyond what is anticipated by the lapse factor.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff requests that the Board authorize Community Development to overfill its staffing level by one Housing Principal Planner position for the remainder of FY19. The position will not be filled until the Board has appropriated the funds for this position, which is anticipated to be requested in September 2018.
Assuming the Board supports this request, staff will immediately begin advertising for this position, but no offer will be made until the Board approves an appropriation that covers this expense. If the Board approves this request, staff will bring an appropriation request to the Board in September.
ATTACHMENTS: None