City abolishes planning positions

<p>Petaluma’s in-house planning staff is being abolished as dwindling development brings in far less revenue to support those jobs.</p><p>In their place, City Hall will hire planners on a project-by-project basis for the remainder of the fiscal year that ends June 30.</p><p>Some of that work could be performed by the affected employees if they choose to work part-time for the city, officials said at Monday’s City Council meeting, when the council voted 4-2 in favor of the cuts.</p><p>The full-time positions of the community development department’s assistant director, associate planner, permit technician and administrative assistant will be eliminated on April 30.</p><p>However, there is enough work remaining for the assistant director, George White, to keep working for the city until June 30, which would allow him to qualify for an early retirement buyout the city will offer, City Manager John Brown said.</p><p>In addition, the administrative assistant will be taking another job with the water resources department, and the planner could remain for the time being in a half-time role, Brown said.</p><p>“Our goal is to keep moving projects forward to the best of our ability,” Brown told the council.</p><p>Department director Mike Moore will also remain on board for a month or two as the city decides how to transition to a new planning model for the upcoming fiscal year, Brown said. Moore will be eligible for the buyout when he leaves, he said.</p><p>The cuts are needed to deal with a $286,000 shortfall in the department’s revenue that could grow by $90,000 if nothing is done, Brown said.</p><p>The department is set up as an “enterprise fund” designed to pay for itself through development-related fees and charges. But revenue came in $1.1 million short last fall — leading to the elimination of 12 positions — and the problem is continuing, Brown said.</p><p>“The goal is to try to stop the outflow of expense without any supporting revenue,” Brown said. “There’s nowhere to go, other than to reduce these positions.”</p><p>Builders and project representatives who spoke at Monday’s meeting urged the council to keep the staff in place, saying a loss of longtime employees would hurt the city’s planning expertise.</p><p>Builder John Mills, a member of the city’s Site Plan and Architectural Review Committee, predicted more home improvement projects would be done without a permit if a planning staff isn’t available to residents.</p><p>“It’s all going to go underground,” he said.</p><p>But Brown said the department would still be open to the public, though its hours might not be convenient for all customers. Following the previous layoffs, the department reduced its public hours to portions of three weekdays.</p><p>A building inspector and permit technician will remain in place because the revenue those jobs generate pay for the expense, Brown said.</p><p>In addition, the city’s affordable housing staff will be retained, a GIS analyst will shift to the information technology department and the neighborhood preservation coordinator will move to the police department. Those positions aren’t funded with development fees.</p><p>How planning services will be handled after June 30 remains to be decided, Brown said. The city could contract with another government agency, hire an outside firm or continue using part-time planners on a project basis, he said.</p><p>A private firm would likely want a minimum of a one-year contract, but Brown said he does not see that as a long-term solution. Council members agreed that they want to hire back a full-time staff as the economy improves and development picks up.</p><p>Vice Mayor Teresa Barrett and council members David Glass and Tiffany Renée joined Torliatt in voting for the cuts. Council members Mike Healy and David Rabbitt voted no, saying they wanted more analysis of how much money the department had remaining the rest of the fiscal year and whether that amount could keep more staff in their jobs. Councilmember Mike Harris was absent due to a work commitment.</p><p>(Contact Corey Young at corey.young@arguscourier.com)</p>