Agenda - Council - 08/26/2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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by Landfill Tipping Fee and is supposed to be funding environmental activities; which is why it would be problematic for this position to fill in for the planner long term. To continue to fill-in for the Planning Associate, the Environmental Coordinator will need to have considerable training and his position will need to be reclassified and the funding source would likely need to change. He currently does not possess the training or education required to fill-in long-term. We are limited in the types of cases he.is able to work on currently until he receives additional training. Additionally, as I alluded to earlier, one of the two planner positions is required to also assist the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Executive Oirector with housing issues. The HRA progress would greatly diminish with the loss of one planner as the HRA Executive Director also serves as the Asst. Community Development Director. The duties of the combined position exceed the capabilities of one person without support staff. · Can the position remain unfilled temporarily or permanently? Please explain. Other staff can fill in temporarily, but not longer than a couple of months. This department has been short-staffed since December 2007, so burnout is a concern. As long as we continue stretching current staff to try and cover the vacant position, we are less likely to be able to maintain the consistent level of quality service we have been able to deliver in the past. We will have less time to pursue grant funding/opportunities or other sources of revenue, as they tend to be somewhat labor intensive and detail oriented. The State of Minnesota mandates cities to update and maintain a Comprehensive Plan for every city in the metro area. Planners update and maintain this plan, according to the requests and values of the residents and City Council. Planners organize and facilitate meetings with the residents to ensure their values are represented. Public participation is a critical part to the planning and development process. It is integral in continuing to build a relationship of trust between the public and the City. It allows the City to demonstrate the importance of the voice of the public in the development and planning process and allowing citizen's input in how their community develops. Planners answer questions from the public and other professionals about zoning, building, and development many times per day. Planners in Ramsey update and maintain GIS maps for the city, including the Official Zoning map, future land use map, current development map, and prepare maps on demand from all other departments in the city. Planners staff the Planning Commission and Ramsey HRA, and prepare staff reports, professional recommendations, and presentations to these official bodies. Of the above duties, which would you classify as not critical? Which would be de-prioritized? · Can the position be filled internally? We would certainly open the position up to any internal applicants but I do not believe there is anyone with the requisite qualifications to fill the position. · What is the impact (i.e., to residents, business oWners, employees, and/or operations) if the position is not filled? The impact to residents would be reduced customer service; longer waits for return phone calls; longer review times; less responsiveness to public hearing concerns/development and zoning inquiries; and less thorough review of proposed developments, which has the potential of leading to loopholes. There will be less time to undertake creative and innovative planning techniques. Planning requires so much attention to detail, that reassigning work will likely lead to missed opportunities, not to mention burnout for staff currently being taxed with much more than their normal job responsibilities. This also does not take into account any other positions taking vacation or an extended leave during this time and the ability to cover for that individual. -116-