CHC 1979-02-06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PLANNING Introduction was made of Mr. Sidney Fuke, DEPT: Director of the Planning Department, who presented the Commission with'his, prepared_ statement. MR. FUKE: Thank you, very much, Mr. Chairman. I have passed out a prepared statement and with the Chairman 's indulgence, I 'd like to read through it...Thank you for giving me this opportunity to express my thoughts regarding possible changes to the County Charter. I would initially like to commend all of you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to assume this monumental task. In the course of your review, please feel free to call upon my office for any help or comments, particularly as they may relate to the planning functions of this County. For today' s presentation, I would like to breifly familiarize all of you with the basic functions and organization of the Planning Department. I regret to say, however, that I am not prepared to offer any substantive changes to the charter at this point in time. I would, nevertheless, appreciate an opportunity to present you with my thoughts in a few weeks and at your convenience. The Planning Department, unlike most departments, has both regulatory and staff functions. The department handles regulatory functions such as the processing of building permits, subdivisions , and other land development permits. In addition, it also provides staff support to the Mayor and the County Council , especially in relation to County policies. These regulatory and staff functions are identified not only through County ordinances and regulations but also by State Statutes. For example, we are responsible for administering the zoning and subdivision ordinances, ordinances which are purely County initiated. On the other hand, certain regulatory functions such as the Shoreline Management Area permit or other Staff fundtions like the State Plan, State Transportation Council and so forth are mandated by State Legislation. As a result, our organization has had to go through several reorganizations over the last ten years. The department had 8 civil servants , plus 2 appointed positions in 1968. By 1972 , the department had grown to a staff of 21 , which included 18 civil servants and 3 appointed positions. No additional positions have been created since then. While the functions of the office have increased over the past few years, we have strived to internally reorganize ourselves to better deliver our services, given the limited manpower. Additionally, we constantly sought external or non- County funds to provide some of the relief. As a result and after much discussion, a major reorganization of the office was approved by the County Council, and that organization is only 6 days old. It went into effect February 1 , 1979. -24-