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<br />e Ms. Andersen said construction levels increase in the spring and continue at <br /> a high level until fall when they generally begin to taper off. The staffing <br /> level is not geared to peak season operating levels but rather, is designed <br /> to handle average levels of activity. <br /> Ms. Andersen said permit turnaround time slowed during this construction <br /> season due to a dramatic increase in permits sought and a reduction in staff. <br /> She said it is hard to find replacements for code analysts because they are <br /> required to have a high level of professional expertise. There are <br /> relatively few people who have the necessary certifications to perform this <br /> job locally, so they cannot be hired on a seasonal basis. Ms. Andersen said <br /> the two vacancies have finally been filled, however, and staff anticipates a <br /> noticeable improvement in plans review response time by early November. <br /> Mayor Obie did not feel the graph depicted average turnaround time for <br /> permits; in his experience, turnaround times have been significantly longer <br /> than this. Ms. Andersen said there are several factors which complicate <br /> permit processing, including getting all of the information necessary for <br /> processing and resolving development issues. Mayor Obie felt it would be <br /> very rare for a developer to submit a flawless application and felt, for this <br /> reason, that the average response time should be calculated from the time an <br /> applicant submits plans until a permit is issued. <br /> In response to a question from Mr. Bennett, Ms. Andersen said there are some <br /> professionals in the comm~nity who are qualified to do commercial plans <br /> checking and the City occasionally contracts with some of them to help reduce <br />e its load. In addition, staff has contracted with the International Council <br /> of Building Officials (leBO) for plans review. Ms. Andersen said this is <br /> only marginally useful because ICBO is more stringent in plans examination <br /> than the City1s examiners, and the City's examiners still have to do some <br /> review of the plans for local code issues. <br /> Mr. Miller said some people feel staff is unsympathetic toward the business <br /> community. He said this perception is unacceptable; customers need to feel <br /> that staff wants to help solve development problems that arise so that <br /> development can proceed and businesses can be successful. Ms. Andersen said <br /> staff has shifted its method of operation in this direction over the past few <br /> years. She said staff does try to work with the developer and suggest <br /> alternatives when problems arise. This type of work takes more time than <br /> just plans examination and has contributed to the permit processing delays. <br /> Ms. Andersen said it is difficult to achieve a balance between being a code <br /> enforcement body protecting the public's interests and providing assistance <br /> to development. <br /> Mr. Gleason said the City made a conscious decision to try to help developers <br /> through the system. This increases the amount of time it takes to process <br /> permits. He said staff and the Building Construction Advisory Committee <br /> (BCAC) have been trying to establish guidelines for how to effectively <br /> process applications. If the City has made a mistake, it has been to staff <br /> plans examination on the lean side. Mr. Gleason said this has been done <br />- MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 26, 1988 Page 7 <br />