Madera County Grand Jury • 2014-2015

Madera County Grand Jury Report 1415-03 Planning Division The Planning Division provides many vital services to the

Published: March 06, 2015 6 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 12 findings

F1
In 2014-2015 the Planning, Environmental Health and Fire Prevention Divisions were realigned under the Community and Economic Development Department. Prior to this time the Madera County Planning Department was part of the Madera County Resource Management Agency (RMA), a service agency that facilitated development for Madera County.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
The reorganization of the Planning Division was initiated and implemented by the Board of Supervisors for economic and operational efficiency.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
Some of the information on the Planning Division web page is outdated, inaccurate and does not reflect the Division’s reorganization under the Community and Economic Development Department.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
The Division’s Procedure Manual and job descriptions were reviewed and are appropriate and well written.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
Certain staffing positions remain unfilled due to employee turnover, the ongoing implementation of the department reorganization and allocated funding of designated positions.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
Increased revenue from grants and planning services has substantially reduced the net cost to the County for the Planning Division operations.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
Staff morale appears good. Issues include insufficient managerial and staff training, employee orientation and changes in work load. These problems are likely due to the reorganization. Recent staff promotions from within are positive.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
Online programs for certain building permit requests and code enforcement complaints have been improved on the Division’s website. The 311 Call Center can also be used in the application process.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
The Division has reduced the waiting time for certain building permit approvals from 200 days to 60 days.
No recommendations for this finding
F10
The Planning Division made several updates to the General Plan including: a. updating of the airport plan, b. zoning changes to water and agricultural provisions, c. rewriting of local environmental and flood plans, d. adding air quality and housing elements mandated by the State.
No recommendations for this finding
F11
The downturn in the economy and building industry has affected staff workloads, resulting in fewer specific building permit requests and site plan reviews. At the same time there has been an increase in workloads for code enforcement staff resulting in more reactionary responses to critical requests.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
The merging of the Planning Division and the Building Inspection Division has resulted in the need for additional clerical support.
No recommendations for this finding

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

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