4-8-2024_PW SS Briefings (3) - Laserfiche WebLink

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land use permits.In late 2022,Richland worked with a consulting firm to audit its development review,permitting and inspection functions.Richland is in the process of implementing the recommendations from that report,which includes a new permitting system for all permit types. Most had partially implemented staffing flexibility plans for high-volume periods Four audited governments used on-call contractors as a staffing contingency to help manage periods of high permit volume.However,three of them-Kittitas,Richland and Snohomish-had those contracts in place for only part of the audit period, while Shoreline had them in place for the entire audit period.In addition to an on- call contractor,Shoreline also used part-time temporary staff to manage periods of high permit volume. Two governments-Bellingham and Vancouver-did not have staffing contingency plans in place during the audit period.Bellingham established a new contract for these services in February 2023.Vancouver engaged a consultant to help process certain complex building permit applications but not specifically to deal with periods of high permit volume.Instead,the city planned to meet 120-day performance with permanent staff. Managers from two governments said they do not regard on-call consultants as an effective solution due to the steep learning curve to familiarize themselves with the complexities of local codes.One manager said the additional time needed to review consultant work for quality control would be better spent reviewing permits. Audited governments could improve their implementation of continuous improvement practices The sixth theme in the leading practices listed in Exhibit 10 concerns continuous improvement in local government permits.It advises governments to analyze their permitting process,track and review their performance for various measures such as timeliness,and track costs associated with permit activities.To fully implement a continuous improvement effort around permitting,the Office advises mapping the current permitting process,then analyzing the steps for problems that slow processes or decision-making,or generate rework.By doing so,those involved in the process might identify tasks that could be eliminated or combined,points of poor communication,understaffing or inadequate cross-training,and any number of other possible areas for improvement.Governments then decide what options exist for change and develop recommendations that address the specific issues they identified. Finally,they put changes in place,measure results and repeat the process regularly.We considered that an audited government had fully implemented this practice if it did at least one element in each of the audit years. Growth Management Act Audit Results 30