Laserfiche WebLink
Pr <br />Appendix B <br />Appendix B: Objectives, Scope <br />and Methodology <br />Objectives <br />The purpose of this performance audit is to assess how local governments process permit applications. <br />The audit addresses the following objectives: <br />1. To what extent are local governments complying with the 120-day rule, including the <br />annual reporting requirement? <br />2. Are local governments using processes appropriately for project permit reviews that <br />exceed 120 days? <br />For reporting purposes, the audit results have been organized into key findings. The messages relate to <br />the original objectives as follows: <br />• Audited governments met state -mandated permitting deadlines inconsistently in some areas, <br />sometimes by wide margins (pages 13-26) — This finding addresses Objective 1 and 2. <br />• Although already using many leading practices, audited governments could adopt practices to <br />further improve permit review times (pages 27-31) — This finding addresses Objective 1. <br />• Only one-third of local governments statewide published required annual performance reports <br />on permit processing times (pages 32-34) —This finding addresses Objective 1. <br />Scope <br />This audit examined how long it took selected local governments to process <br />permits associated with building and development. It also reviewed these <br />governments' permitting processes to identify opportunities to better assist <br />applicants and reduce overall application time. Our audit period was calendar <br />years 2019 through 2022. <br />We selected six local governments for this audit. Our goal when selecting <br />governments was to include a good mix of cities and counties on both sides <br />of the Cascades. We chose high -growth areas with a variety of population sizes <br />and considered urban and rural designations for counties and population density <br />for cities. The six governments we selected include four cities and two counties: <br />four west of the Cascades and two east. The audited governments are listed <br />in the sidebar. <br />Local governments <br />included in this audit <br />City of Bellingham <br />• City of Richland <br />• City of Shoreline <br />• City of Vancouver <br />• Kittitas County <br />• Snohomish County <br />Growth Management Act Appendix B 150 <br />