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Vancouver's data for civil permits, in Exhibit 8, <br />showed even greater improvement in meeting the <br />120.. day deadline when hands on government <br />time was compared to total time. As the blue <br />bars show, when using total -time data, the city <br />completed just 43 percent of its civil permits on <br />time, but when using hands-on government time, <br />it completed 88 percent of permits on time. <br />Audit Results <br />Exhibit 8 - Percent of Vancouver civil <br />permits processed, total time vs. hands-on <br />government time <br />Permits processed within or over 120 days, 2019-2022 <br />Note: Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding <br />Hands-on <br />government time <br />Total time <br />Within <br />120 days <br />More than 2% 1 9% <br />120 days 261 % <br />9b <br />Key <br />21% 121-180 days <br />LL - 181-365 days <br />More than 365 days <br />Source: Permitting data supplied by audited governments. <br />Key factors for slow processing of land use permits <br />included project complexity, staffing shortages <br />and inefficient processes <br />As the comparison of total time versus hands-on government processing time <br />in two audited governments showed, one important factor in overdue permits <br />approved after the 120-day deadline is outside the government's control: the <br />response time of the applicant. When permit staff return an application with <br />questions or require additional documents, they must set the application aside <br />until the applicant replies. However, applicants sometimes turn in a response <br />that does not address all the concerns, requiring another round of questions and <br />answers. Because each response requires a new review, it can quickly add additional <br />processing time for the government. <br />Growth Management Act Audit Results 121 <br />