Growth Management Department

Open for Business

From: Growth Management Planning Staff

Subject: Open for Business

The phrase “open for business” may have many meanings to many different people, depending upon the specific circumstances in which it is used.  The challenge in using such a phrase is establishing a common definition so that the speaker and the listener avoid misunderstandings.  This memorandum is intended to establish the Growth Management planners’ understanding of that phrase, how the Department’s procedures and responsibilities currently further the goal of being open for business, and how they might be improved upon to achieve this goal.

In the private sector, “open for business” generally means that an entity has identified an opportunity worth staking its start-up assets in the belief that it can weather the inherent risks and still turn a profit from its products or services.  Success is measured in the degree of consumer investment.  However, when a government declares that it is open for business, a different definition is required.  Government is funded by taxes paid by citizens used to provide a variety of services, many of which those citizens cannot provide for themselves.  Government generally operates without competition and without the expectation of a profit.  Fiscal responsibility for government comes in the form of a mandatory balanced budget and spending the money it collects to benefit the most citizens in the most efficient manner.  Success is measured in terms of public confidence that the tax money collected is being well spent.

In times of economic distress, private firms can choose to go out of business.  During these same times, the challenge for government becomes even greater, since going out of business is not an option.  The same economic conditions that closed the private businesses often cause governments to reduce the number of their employees while the demand for services remains constant, or may even increase.  The need to do more with less becomes more than a euphemism for efficiency.  It indicates that the public servants remaining must endeavor to efficiently provide necessary services in spite of the conditions.

Growth Management staff defines open for business as:

  • Learning to do more with less.
  • Maximizing and conserving available resources.
  • Streamlining processes for applicants within the scope of regulations.
  • Being willing to cross-train and network to gain and implement added skills.
  • Following through wherever possible with every task encountered.

Just as importantly, staff feels that open for business does not mean:

  • Approving poorly planned or poorly structured development just to keep projects alive.
  • Skirting existing codes or other regulations that are not in the public’s best interest.
  • Waiving or reducing any fees that support the general budget.
  • Perpetuating inter-departmental conflicts.
  • Retaliating to challenges with poor effort, poor attitude, or excuses.

Staff has identified four broad categories where the Planning Division is working to maintain, create, or improve an “open for business” approach.  These four categories are briefly described below and specific examples of current and future activities are highlighted.

Process

Processes are in place to assure fair, equal, and consistent treatment for everyone served by County government. Many times, however, these processes may appear to be impediments. It is important for all processes to be clear and consistent. The following examples show how the Department is working to establish and maintain procedures that assist in the completion of the County’s long range goals.

  • Established a Tiered Impact Fee structure to more fairly distribute the costs of development within the County.
  • Continually monitoring, updating, streamlining, and clarifying the process of reviewing development proposals.  This includes the site plan review process and new application forms.
  • Updating all procedures and applications dealing with excavations. This involves the creation of a comprehensive checklist and explanation of what is required for submittal, and gives all applicants equal treatment.
  • Updating the Comprehensive Plan and land development code to make them more reader friendly, reasonable, contemporary, and consistent with one another and the community vision.
  • Including an interactive website with the new Smart Charlotte 2050 Comprehensive Plan which allows an easy opportunity for citizens and investors to review and comment on the Plan.

Communication

Three types of communication are essential to the operation of the Planning Division:  intra-divisional, inter-departmental, and external.  All three work to guarantee successful operations, and all three must be maintained at high levels.  For County employees, efficient and courteous communication is a vital asset and that should be reflected in how their jobs are performed, and the breakdown of any one of these forms is sure to create barriers to the efficient delivery of services.  The following examples show how the Department is working to maintain high levels of communication.

  • Staffing a zoning counter to provide customer service for walk-ins and phone inquiries related to any land development issue. The Planning Division maintains a daily Planner on Duty (POD) schedule, with a back-up planner identified, who provides coverage for customer inquiries. All administrative assistants and zoning technicians are notified when the assigned POD needs to hand their duties to another planner. The point is to ensure Growth Management provides a rapid response to all inquiries. Whether by email, phone, or in person, staff ensures the individual gets what is needed. If another department better addresses the issue, Growth Management attempts to find the answer from that department and relays it back to the customer.
  • Working to provide information to customers and convey their needs to the BCC, so that the best decisions may be made. This is accomplished through a number of community outreach efforts such as the Comprehensive Plan update, the Business Expo/Convention, Community Plans, and demonstration projects including the rain garden.
  • Updating the Department’s website to provide better information regarding the processes and procedures of the various divisions and the information and help that is available to the public from the Department.
  • Continuing to develop, create, and provide educational brochures on a number of topics and processes within the Growth Management Department.
  • Exploring opportunities for increased community outreach in order to remove perceived barriers for citizens young and old and the development community to understand how and why planning occurs.

Resources

Every bit of material used by County employees, the time they spend working, and even the offices they work in are paid for with public money.  Therefore, none of it should ever be wasted. The same conditions that caused staff reductions have also increased the dollar value of it all.  While delivery time of services may understandably be impacted, the quality of service should not be diminished.  The following examples show how the Department is working to be a good steward of the County’s physical, monetary, and intellectual resources.

  • Grouped all Planning Division Planners into a single pod of the office in order to create the opportunity for collaboration and the opportunity for a better sharing of information, which allows for a more efficient allocation of work resources. Comments and review of work products may be discussed in a group setting, allowing for a combination of ideas that produces a better final product, better serving the County and its citizens.
  • Hired a transportation planner/engineer.  The services of this planner will be made available to applicants to prepare traffic impact studies for their proposals. This will allow the applicants to save money and also to ensure the transportation study is prepared to County standards.
  • Maintaining a library and a tracking system for all Developments of Regional Impact within the County, ensuring that applicants, investors, and businesses receive the necessary assistance in finding their way through a number of systems that manage very large amounts of vested rights.
  • Spearheading the County’s green certification efforts to help in obtaining grants. This will help businesses that provide energy, transportation, and attract the next generation of business development.
  • Developing a culturally diverse staff from around the world. People and businesses from many nations are and will be investing in the County. This provides the ability to better relate to those that consider investing here.
  • Making great efforts to make data available to citizens in many formats, and being accommodating when approached with requests for “bundling” when someone asks for more than one item. Data recently made available includes historic aerial photos and a database of all excavations. Data being prepared includes digital maps of half sections.

Responsibility

While it is understandably more difficult for County employees to remain focused when the specter of reductions in force looms this challenge should never be seen as an excuse for poor job performance.  The responsibility for quality work remains through every economic climate, as it is the only standard by which performance may be accurately judged.  The following examples show how the Department is working to take and maintain responsibility for the work done and processes overseen.

  • Providing support for various community groups, advisory committees, and investors to help navigate occasionally complex codes.
  • Working to protect vested property rights, including ensuring compliance with state laws, ensuring developments in neighboring counties do not negatively impact this County, and ensuring compliance with commitments.
  • Working to implement new software that will track traffic concurrency. This will provide direct access to site plans and building permits, which will expedite this review.

These challenges are not easily addressed. However, it is the final responsibility of staff to ensure that the tasks of government are neither burdensome nor confusing to the customer. Through the examples presented in this memorandum, staff believes that the Growth Management Department currently operates with an open for business approach. Improvements can be made, but we feel the Department is well positioned to continue to strive to do more with less in order to improve the level of service.