DATE: JANUARY 10, 2023
DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FROM: MEGAN HUNTER, DIRECTOR
BY: MELISSA GUILFOYLE, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST
CRISTINA SIFUENTES, COMMUNITY OUTREACH ASSISSTANT
TITLE: PERMIT CENTER PROGRESS UPDATE
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
No action is required. This Administrative Report provides an overview of Permit Center operations and continuous improvements since the last report was provided to City Council on October 26, 2021.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Despite the pandemic and more recently inflationary pressures, building permitting continues to be in high demand. The Permit Center is comprised of the following divisions/departments – Permit Services, Current Planning, and Code Enforcement Divisions, all part of the Community Development Department; the Fire Prevention Division, Fire Department; and Development Engineering Division, Public Works Department. The Revenue Office of the Finance Department is also located at the Permit Center and issues business licenses but is in the process of relocating back to City Hall and therefore is not included in this report.
Even with key staff vacancies, our stellar staff assumed more responsibility, worked more hours, suggested new process improvements, and most importantly kept issuing permits. 4,646 All Permits Issued at Permit Center in FY 21/22 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) 3,243 Building Permits Issued in FY21/22 with valuation of over $83.4 million 1,100 Building Permits Issued in FY 22/23 (July 1, 2022 – December 01, 2022) with valuation of over $64.7 million Like the previous year, Permit Center staff continued to be committed to implementing ongoing improvements. There were four focus areas this past year: 1) Technology, 2) Customer Service, 3) Staffing, and 4) Permit Center Coordination.
Important highlights include:
Universal testing of a new electronic processing platform through ProjectDox to be launched in January/February.
Hiring of two (2) bi-lingual Community Outreach Assistants solely focused on customer service and launching of a new online customer survey at the end of October.
Hiring of four (4) new staff in the Permit Services Division including: 2 Community Outreach Assistants; a bilingual Administrative Analyst dedicated to tracking Permit Center progress, customer service, and budgeting; and Combination I Building Inspector. (A new Combination I Building Inspector was selected in December and is scheduled to start on January 9, 2023.) Improved coordination among departments/divisions to create a streamlined Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Program and launching of pre-approved ADU plans.
BACKGROUND:
In December 2017, the Department completed a Kaizen-driven process to improve the building permit submittal and review process, resulting in a February 2018 Action Plan with 37 implementation tasks. The goal of this Action Plan, was to adjust the building plan review and submittal process to eliminate under- and over-processing, improve communication, limit hand-offs between divisions/departments, create new standard operating procedures, and shift staff from being reactive to proactive. On November 5, 2019, staff updated the City Council on the implementation of the Action Plan completing twenty-three (23) tasks and making substantial progress on thirteen (13). Some of the implementation tasks were delayed as the Permit Center switched to a newer version of the permitting database system called TRAKiT in late 2019.
Four months after the November 5th update was presented to City Council, the COVID-19 pandemic hit forcing the immediate shut down of the Permit Center. When the Permit Center re-initiated services, the public counter remained closed, and staff had to shift to an electronic processing system without a platform in place to do so. Ultimately, staff had to create a new action plan to address this reality. Creatively using the online version of Microsoft office, staff was able to electronically receive submitted plans and applications. However, administrative staff was now burdened with manually uploading all the documents into the TRAKiT database system. Without an online portal system to accept payments, administrative staff had to work with customers via emailed authorization forms to collect fees. In addition, the unpredictability of COVID, resulted in unexpected leave and in some cases even entire divisions were sent home. This hindered productivity and performance benchmarks.
Although City Council did not receive a Permit Center Progress Update in 2020, staff did present an update on October 26, 2021, which outlined the challenges the pandemic posed and how staff overcame them. Remarkably, staff was able to issue 3,234 permits in FY 20/21, respond to 22,153 phone calls, conduct 12,271 inspections, and improve timelines of building plan reviews. The report identified four focus areas for improvement: Technology, Customer Service, Staffing, and Permit Center Coordination. In addition, the report provided data on FY 20/21 (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) and data from July 1, 2021 – October 11, 2021. This report is similarly structured to provide a comparison of improvements and track implementation of objectives from the previous year.
DISCUSSION:
Similar to the October 26, 2021 Progress Update, this report provides relevant data from FY 21/22 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) and from July 1, 2022 – November 1, 2022. Again, this year, Permit Center Staff stepped up, taking on additional assignments and devising new solutions to improve productivity. Coming out of the pandemic, coordination among the Permit Center Staff gradually got better. Today, the strong communication, “can do” attitude, and teamwork-oriented approach is much more evident than ever and reflected in the data.
Data Overview
Permit Services Division
Administration & Intake
Our Permit Technicians, Karen Jones, Tamara Kirkland, and Sheila Martinez and their supervisor, Permit Center Coordinator, Kristy Parker are the “workhorses” of the Permit Center responsible for answering calls, intaking plans, issuing permits, and scheduling inspections. To understand this role, it is critical to highlight the output of the Permit Techs in FY 21/22.
Issued 1,256 simple permits “over the counter”
Assisted in answering 23,110 phone calls (with the help of temp staff) Assisted 969 customers over the counter
Building Plan Review
Building plan review staff comprised of Senior Plan Check Engineers - Angeline Sicker and Joey DeSante; Junior Engineer - Raul Ortega; and Building Permit Specialist - Lucy Ayala continued to perform at a high level. Plan reviews were largely completed on time – 97% of the time. 76% of building permits were issued after 2nd review for all divisions. This percentage would be greater if only building review was measured.
Conducted 2,720 plan reviews in FY 21/22
Completed 97% of plan reviews within prescribed timelines Assisted 313 customers over the counter
Building Inspections
Inspection staff is comprised of Inspection Services Manager - John Falkenberg, Combination II Building Inspector - Curtis Jones, and Combination I Building Inspector - Eric Chavez. Despite having two vacant positions, the team conducted a staggering amount of work and more than doubled virtual inspections from last year.
Conducted 13,799 inspections
Completed 99% of inspections with a next business day turn-around time Conducted 734 virtual inspections, a 100% increase from last year Other Divisions/Departments
The other divisions/departments at the Permit Center are a key part of the building permitting process and ensure technical oversight of permits related to planning, fire, and stormwater. In addition to this work, these divisions/departments are responsible for applications in their core functions. For example, the Development Engineering Division of Public Works oversees encroachment and vendor permits. This report provides a brief synopsis of all Permit Center functions and does not detail the work of individual divisions/departments.
Current Planning Division, Community Development Department The Current Planning Division is comprised of seven (7) full-time staff – Planning Manager - Courtney Grossman; Senior Planner - Thomas Wiles; Associate Planner - Robert Latino; Assistant Planners - Adam Garrett, Marisol Ruvalcaba, and Oscar Avina; and Administrative Aide - Maira Robles. Four of the seven are bi-lingual. Current Planning also has a part-time Senior Planner, Jill Miller.
Reviewed 1,303 building permits for planning compliance Assisted 1,581 customers over the counter
Completed 560 plan approvals in FY 21/22; and 158 thus far in FY 22/23 Coordinated 91 Development Review Committee Applicant Meetings in FY 21/22 Reviewed 602 business licenses in FY 21/22
Recorded 124 ADU Deed Restrictions in FY 21/22; and 70 thus far in FY 22/23.
Completed 91 inspections in FY 21/22; and 90 thus far in FY 22/23 Completed 89% of planning reviews within the prescribed time frames Code Enforcement, Community Development Department
The Code Enforcement Division is comprised of ten (10) full-time staff, but currently has three vacancies. Staff include: Code Enforcement Manager – Lorenzo Sanchez; Senior Code Enforcement Officer – Cindy Guerrero; Code Enforcement Officers – Cindy McKinlay, Matthew Pierce and Sylvia Perez; Administrative Aide – Ana Jacinto; and Office Technician – Carmen Saucedo.
Reviewed 212 building permits for code enforcement compliance Assisted 576 customers over the counter
Completed 3,436 inspections in FY 21/22; and 1365 thus far in FY 22/23 Fire Prevention, Fire Department
The Fire Prevention Division is comprised of six (6) full-time staff and currently has one vacancy. Staff include: Fire Marshal/Battalion Chief – Skylar Thornton; Administrative Analyst – Jessica Bhardwaj; Office Technician - Brianda Palacios; and Fire Inspectors – Ichelle Herrera and James Goulart.
Reviewed 371 building permits for fire code compliance
Assisted 298 customers over the counter
Completed 3,345 inspections in FY 21/22; and 1,264 thus far in FY 22/23 Completed 87% of planning reviews within the prescribed time frames Development Engineering
The Development Engineering Division is comprised of five (5) full-time staff including Senior Development Engineer – Javier Hernandez; Assistant Engineer – Fernando Rizo Gonzalez; Construction Inspector - Taina Salcedo; and Junior Engineers – Jordan Padilla and Gaynda Gomez. This Division only recently was fully staffed up.
Issued 1,163 engineering permits
Reviewed 778 building permits for engineering compliance Assisted 878 customers over the counter
Completed 5019 inspections in FY 21/22 and 2528 thus far in FY 22/23 Technology
As presented in our last Permit Center Progress Update on October 26, 2021, the pandemic created a permanent shift in how we do business at the Permit Center. When our offices were closed from March 2020 to July 2021, staff was forced to switch to an electronic/virtual process overnight without the backbone technology or staffing to implement. As outlined above, this electronic processing placed significant administrative burden on our Permit Technicians requiring additional steps and increasing intake time by roughly 30%. While it would have been easy to revert to the old process after re-opening the Public Counter on July 6, 2021, most of our customers preferred the new process. Thus, we opted to identify and implement a new digital processing platform and executed a contract with Avolve Software (Online Applicant Services (OAS) and ProjectDox).
With the help of a new Information Technology (IT) Integration and Application Administrator, Joyce Burnett who started in February 2022, staff has been working diligently to finally implement OAS/ProjectDox, also known as paperless permitting. Multiple Permit Center Staff for every division/department have assisted in testing the software to address any issues and provide input in improvements before being made available to the public. The testing occurred over a 7-day period for about 1 ½ hours a day. Staff also volunteered to test outside this time period to ensure that ProjectDox is operating successfully. In total, Permit Center Staff have dedicated over 75 hours to testing and evaluating the software. Senior Plan Check Engineer, Angeline Sickler, Building Permit Specialist, Lucy Ayala and Junior Engineer, Raul Ortega have taken the lead in the execution of ProjectDox and have spent countless hours interfacing with Avolve staff in order to ensure timely deliverables. Administrative Analyst, Melissa Guilfoyle spent hours meticulously compiling several “Applicant Guides” in both Spanish and English to assist the public in understanding the paperless permitting process.
Our scheduled soft “go-live” date is January 9, 2023. The system will first be made available to frequent applicants who can provide feedback to help us refine the system. February is the planned launch to all users. With any major software rollout, there is a need to educate the public on how to operate the software. As a result, our primary focus over the next couple of months is refining how to guides and instructional videos to help customers utilize the new system. Once paperless permitting is operational, the Integration and Application Administrator will help with process improvements to fire permitting and virtual inspections.
Customer Service
With the re-opening of the public counter on July 6, 2021, staff have focused on improving customer interface at the Permit Center including reducing customer wait times through online queuing, installing physical improvements to the counter, hiring dedicated customer service staff, continuing small business support, and launching an online customer survey. The Finance Department, which manages business licensing has decided to relocate these services back to City Hall and use HdL’s online portal to issue business licenses to improve customer services for business licensing.
Online Appointment System (QLess)
In July 2021, the Permit Center implemented QLess, a virtual queuing system, which drastically reduced customer wait time. Previously, customers would come to the Public Counter and sometimes wait hours to talk to technical staff who were busy with other customers. Through the QLess system and newly hired Community Outreach Assistant, Cristina Sifuentes, we have been able to communicate between divisions and create a set schedule for each department to attend to customers in a timely manner.
Of particular importance to staff this year was enabling the Spanish feature in the QLess system. Permit Center Staff translated over 150 terms to allow our customers to access the online appointment system in Spanish. Now, with the Spanish feature, Permit Center Staff are alerted when we have a Spanish speaking customer. Beginning next year, we will be able to provide data on how many Spanish speaking customers we serve.
Physical Improvements to Counter & Lobby
To gain more space for Permit Center staff, the public counter was re-designed and pushed forward in July 2021. Since then, additional improvements were made to benefit both staff and customers. Privacy walls were added between stations and acoustic boards were added above and between each workstation to reduce the noise level. A private office was designated for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program customers who often were discussing sensitive information. Staff is now working on re-designing part of the lobby area to house the Permit Center’s educational material.
Customer Service Staff
To improve customer outreach and education, the department hired a full-time Community Outreach Assistant, Cristina Sifuentes in April 2022. Cristina as discussed above has been instrumental in improving customer services at the Public Counter including training part-time staff who serve as Permit Center “Greeters”. Although staff have been limited in implementing improvements to the website, which is undergoing a major overhaul, Cristina has been able to update documents and improve webpage content. She also has been able to help customers navigate the system and immediately address customer complaints. To support Cristina, the Permit Center hired another Community Outreach Assistant in October 2022, Henry Tafolla. Both Cristina and Henry are bi-lingual.
Small Business Support
As a result of the pandemic, the City was able to leverage CARES Act funding to hire a full-time, bilingual Business Navigator, Crystal Casillas in November 2020. To support small businesses, a small business support hotline (831-758-7367), email ([email protected]), and website (www.salinasbusinesssupport.org) have been established. The Business Navigator assists existing and new businesses steer through government processes and access resources. Between October 2021 and October 2022, the small business support email received 282 emails and hotline received 205 calls. Of these emails/calls: 59% were about New Business/Business License, 20% Grants & Financial Assistance, 11% Land/Building Permits, and 10% Business Resources, Collaborations & Other Inquiries. When small businesses have needed help navigating permitting, Crystal has been able to guide them and resolve any communication challenges.
Online Customer Survey
For years, the Permit Center has tried to implement an easy and anonymous customer feedback survey. Initially, the Permit Center had a customer survey card that could be filled out and deposited into a drop box. Very few people bothered to complete the card. In 2016, the Permit Center partnered with the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce to implement an online survey, but again very few people submitted customer feedback. At the end of October 2022, Administrative Analyst, Melissa Guilfoyle led the development of an easy, brief, anonymous, online survey using the QLess system. The survey has been translated in both English and Spanish. As of December 5, 2021, thirty-three (33) surveys have been completed by customers. The survey covers overall satisfaction with Permit Center service and asks customers to evaluate level of professionalism, timeliness, knowledge, friendliness, and availability.
Staffing
Although we have made significant strides in hiring staff, staff vacancies and continuation of absences due to COVID continued to strain our services. Sometimes, staff shortages could be partially mitigated through remote work and overtime. However, this was not always possible as staff continues to be stressed given the unrelenting workload for over four years. For example, the City’s 3 full-time building inspectors conducted 13,799 inspections in FY 21/22 or approximately 20 inspections per day. In the past, we have been able to use contractors to manage workload like this. However, over the last two years our contractors have experienced similar staffing shortages and have been unable to provide additional assistance as needed.
The Permit Services Division (often referred to as Building) is the primary division responsible for issuing building permits. Permit Services currently has fourteen (14) full-time employees and four (4) vacancies including the Chief Building Official (CBO), which also serves as the Permit Services Division Manager. The vacancies represent approximately 22% of the division’s workforce. Other divisions/departments also have vacancies including Code Enforcement, and Fire Prevention, which impact output and timeliness.
Even though staffing continues to be a challenge, several key hires and a promotion have been made based upon the recommendations of the October 26, 2021 Report:
Integration and Application Administrator – Hired Joyce Burnett in February in 2022. This IT position, which is embedded at the Permit Center is focusing on advancing efficiency and the customer experience using technology to facilitate permitting.
Community Outreach Assistant (2 positions) – Hired Cristina Sifuentes in April 2022 and Henry Tafolla in October 2022. These positions are responsible for managing the customer service experience and helping homeowners and property owners navigate the permitting process. These positions also assist in improving our online presence and developing educational materials.
Combination I Building Inspector - Hired Eric Chavez in February 2022. This is an entry level Building Inspector position responsible for conducting primarily residential inspections. We have selected a second Combination I Building Inspector that is scheduled to start on January 9, 2023.
Administrative Analyst – Hired Melissa Guilfoyle in September 2023. This position is responsible for coordinating and tracking ongoing improvements to the Permit Center and managing the Permit Services Division budget. Melissa is also bi-lingual.
Inspection Services Manager – Promoted John Falkenberg to Inspection Services Manager to provide critical guidance on City capital improvements, oversee inspections, and support coordination between Plan Check, Code Enforcement, and Fire Prevention.
Permit Center Coordination
As COVID restrictions have lifted, staff have been able to conduct both virtual and in person meetings and trainings to improve Permit Center coordination. Currently, Permit Center Staff meet bi-monthly specifically to discuss process improvements including ways to enhance customer service. Through these discussions, staff have been able to resolve coordination problems between other divisions or departments. This coordination is critical to ensure our performance metrics are achieved because a lapse in timeliness of one division or department impacts the entire process. 2022 Building Standards Code
This year, the California Building Standards Commission adopted a new Building Standards Code to take effect in January 2023. As presented to City Council on December 6th, every three years the Commission revises the Building Standards Code including multiple volumes such as the building, residential, fire, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and energy codes. Because these code changes impact the entire Permit Center, staff closely coordinate to ensure seamless implementation. Many staff members across divisions/departments have attended trainings and workshops to learn about the code changes. Eight (8) staff members attended intensive training, totaling over 100 hours. Additionally Permit Center Staff are working diligently to update all documents on the City’s website affected by the changes to the Building Standards Code. For example, plan review staff created a form entitled “2022 statement of access compliance” to make it easier for business owners applying for a tenant improvement to show compliance with California Accessibility requirements.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Streamlining
Perhaps the best example of improved coordination at the Permit Center is our program to streamline ADU permitting. As part of the ADU streamlining process, Permit Center Staff created an FAQ on ADUs and a companion ADU guide in both Spanish and English to help the public better understand the process of building an ADU. In addition, Permit Center divisions/departments worked together with architectural firm, Design Path Studio to create multiple pre-approved plans for new detached ADUs. These pre-approved plans include four (4) floor plan options in four (4) different architectural styles and were made available to the public free of charge. Two ADU Workshops about the pre-approved plans were conducted with a sizable turnout. The first program drew in approximately 80 participants, while the second attracted roughly 50. The meeting was recorded and is available to the public. More recently, Raul Ortega, Junior Engineer, provided an interview with Telemundo in Spanish to promote the ADUs plans to the public. During the interview, Raul explained some of the permitting process and the benefits of constructing ADUs.
The improved coordination to facilitate ADUs has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of ADU permits issued. In FY 20/21, fifty-six (56) ADU permits were issued. In FY 21/22, one hundred and thirty-seven (137) ADU permits were issued, an almost 250% increase.
Core Benchmark
To measure our progress, the City established a core benchmark of approving 90% of building plans within 40 days of submittal. This has been measured over the last three years and the City has steadily improved to 67% in FY 21/22. Because of the limitations of our database, this measurement also includes the time that the applicants have plans and staff is waiting for resubmittal of information. Staff re-evaluated the data for FY 21/22 and eliminated the time waiting for the applicant’s response and determined that 91% of building plans were approved by the City within 40 days in FY 21/22. Thus, the Permit Center exceeded this benchmark. The new ProjectDox system will be better able to measure multiple datapoints and we expect to provide even better data in future reports.
Key Next Steps
Technology - Successfully implement ProjectDox along with companion guides and instructional videos to educate the public on how to operate the software. Institute new process improvements to fire permitting and virtual inspections. Purchase needed IT hardware to improve staff productivity. Develop improved performance metrics, which can be better tracked through ProjectDox implementation.
Customer Service – Contract with Public Relations firm to improve educational materials to guide applicants through permitting process. Work with Community Relations Manager to improve the City’s website and upload new educational materials to Permit Center webpage. Work with newly formed Business Development Committee to identify new customer service enhancements. Host a Permit Center Open House with Chamber of Commerce and SUBA. Continue to promote customer feedback survey and post results.
Staffing – Continue to work with HR to fill critical positions. Identify barriers to hiring Chief Building Official and hire an executive search firm to help fill the position. Continue to promote training of staff especially around customer service.
Permit Center Coordination – Continue to discuss process improvements across divisions/departments and develop a new action plan for streamlining similar to the one developed for ADUs. Evaluate opportunities to share technical “expertise” across divisions/departments to promote efficiency and stretch limited resources.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
Not a Project. The City of Salinas has determined that the proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378).
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
This report supports the City Council’s goal of Operational Efficiency by making improvements to Permit Center operations that advance productivity and the goal of New Revenue by facilitating new development that helps increase property and sales tax revenue.
DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:
Permit Center operations span multiple CDD divisions and City departments including the Permit Services, Code Enforcement, Current Planning, and Advanced Planning and Project Implementation Divisions and the Fire, Public Works, and Finance Departments. The coordination of all functions at the Permit Center is vital to achieving good customer service and helping streamline the permitting process.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
The four action items outlined in this report will be paid through the Permit Services Division Enterprise Fund and technology surcharge and will have no impact on the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
PowerPoint Presentation
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