ATTACHMENT 4

memorandum

to:W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

from:J.B. Culpepper, Acting Planning Director

subject:Proposed Planning Department Reorganization

DATE:September 22, 2005

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to describe a proposed reorganization of the Chapel Hill Planning Department.  I recommend changes to the department’s organizational structure as well as the creation of a new Transportation Planner position and changes to a tow-thirds’s time position to full-time Planner position.  Sufficient funds are available in the present budget for the Planning Department, along with Community Development and Transportation planning funds.

BACKGROUND

Following the recent retirement of two key high level staff members, and my appointment as Acting Planning Director, I have been working closely with you to examine the function and organization of the Planning Department. 

Planning Director Roger Waldon retired in May and Long Range Planning Coordinator Chris Berndt retired in July.  In addition, our Administrative Secretary and a Principal Planner resigned while a Planner was on extended paternal leave (now returned to work). This has been a difficult summer for the remainder of the staff.  As you know, Roger and Chris had a combination of 50 years of experience with the Town and, because of their dedication, we lost substantially more than 40 hours per week from each of them.  We have had to adjust our work program accordingly.  I appreciate your support and understanding of the Department’s reduced capacity.  We have a great group of people in the Department.  Their dedication and skill have enabled us to continue with basic functions.   I am particularly grateful to Gene Poveromo, Loryn Clark and David Bonk for offering their leadership.  In addition, both Roger and Chris are currently providing assistance to the Department, Roger as a consultant with the Neighborhood Conservation District initiative and Chris as a temporary employee primarily working on the Downtown Economic Development Initiative.  

CURRENT RECRUITING EFFORTS

We are currently interviewing for an administrative clerk and advertising for two vacant Planner positions.  Our most urgent need has been in the Current Development Division of the Department.  We are preparing to examine applications for the Current Development Planner position and hope to be able to do the same in a few weeks for the Long Range Planner position vacated by Phil Hervey.  Because of the allocation of Planning Department funds to hire Roger and Chris, we have deferred filling the third vacant Planner position until January when funds will be available. 

PROPOSED REORGANIZATION

Over the summer, we have completed an in-depth examination of the functions of the department, working with key Planning Department staff members, other Department Heads and the Manager’s Office, and have developed the following proposal with your assistance. 

Presently the Planning Department is divided into two divisions:

1. Current Development

• Manage permitting associated with the Land Use Management Ordinance
• Staff support to the Planning Board, Community Design Commission, Historic District Commission and Board of Adjustment

2. Long Range Planning

• Comprehensive Plan Implementation
• Annexation
• Joint Planning and Coordination with surrounding jurisdictions
• Transportation and Transit Planning
• Pedestrian/Bicycle Planning
• Sidewalk Coordination
• Data Book
• Sustainable and Energy Functions
• Support to the Downtown Economic Development Initiative
• Geographic Information System Coordination
• Housing
• Community Development
• Neighborhood Protection
• Staff support to Planning Board, Horace Williams Advisory Committee, Transportation Board, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Million Solar Roofs, Greene Tract Work Group,  Council Committee on Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Affordable Housing Task Force, Partnership to End Homelessness

As you can see, the responsibilities of the Long Range Planning Division are extensive and varied.  I recommend that the present Long Range Planning division functions be divided and that the Planning Department be divided into three divisions:

1. Current Development – same as at present

2. Long Range/Transportation

• Comprehensive Plan Implementation
• Annexation
• Joint Planning and Coordination with surrounding jurisdictions
• Transportation and Transit Planning
• Pedestrian/Bicycle Planning
• Sidewalk Coordination
• Data Book
• Sustainable and Energy Functions
• Support to the Downtown Economic Development Initiative
• Geographic Information System Coordination
• Staff support to Planning Board, Horace Williams Advisory Committee, Transportation Board, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Million Solar Roofs, Greene Tract Work Group,  Council Committee on Energy, Environment and Sustainability

3.  Housing/Neighborhood Services

• Housing
• Community Development
• Neighborhood Protection
• Staff support to Planning Board, Affordable Housing Task Force, Partnership to End Homelessness

I believe this proposed change makes sense functionally and the restructuring also works well with the experience and skill of the Department’s senior staff members.  I have made three interim appointments to manage these three functions.  Gene Poveromo, David Bonk, and Loryn Clark have agreed to oversee the three areas. Attachment 1 presents this adjustment conceptually. 

Along with the proposed restructuring to create three divisions in the Department, I recommend adjustments to establish 1.34 new positions to be paid for with existing funds.

• I recommend the addition of a full-time Transportation Planner position paid for by existing grant funds.  With the reorganization proposal, senior staff member David Bonk would be accepting additional responsibilities beyond Transportation.  His position, which is now 100 percent Transportation/Transit grant funded, is proposed to become 50 percent grant funded to reflect this expanded role.  Given the current responsibilities and growing emphasis on transportation related initiatives, we recommend the establishment of a grant funded Transportation Planner position to help us address this important need. We have reviewed the status of current and anticipated transportation grants and they are sufficient to fund this position. 

We believe the addition of the transportation planner will allow the Town to:

Develop and update short range transit plans

Prepare mid range and long range transit plans

Improve transit coordination with UNC and Carrboro

Participate in regional transit coordination

Expand participation in regional transportation planning projects

Pursue funding from federal and State sources for transportation projects

• We also propose to change a position now budgeted as two-third’s time to full-time to provide better grant accounting services and neighborhood services.  This position would continue to be paid from Community Development funds for two-third’s of the work and from existing funds in the Planning Department budget for the other one-third of the work.

Furthermore, I propose administrative changes to the Department which I believe will better accommodate our current needs. I recommend that the Department change from the current structure of an Office Manager and an Administrative Secretary to an administrative support team composed of two Administrative Clerks. We are currently advertising for an Administrative Clerk to fill the position recently vacated by the Administrative Secretary.  I recommend that the Office Manager position also become an Administrative Clerk position. With two Administrative Clerks, I believe we will be in a better position to handle the necessary receptionist, telephone answering, permit logging, as well as other typical administrative and clerical functions and tasks.

Please refer to Attachment 2 which provides a chart of the proposed changes.  We will be able to fund these changes within the present budget and in next year’s budget.  We do not believe that the changes will have a budgetary impact.  We will continue to evaluate the department’s functions and organization.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Existing Department Structure and Proposed Structure (p. 38).

2. Chart of proposed changes (p. 39).