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CF-TownC CHR1-CS 891212following Tuesday, two working days later. It is difficult if not impossible for L~' b (z~x- the staff to complete the review of a project in this amount of time. However, the project is scheduled for the next meeting and the applicants ~ ~4 · representative is expected to be present. ~e~~x~ The process is also adversely affected by absence of some staff members and failure of some members to complete their review in a timely fashion. In addition, no formal minutes are made of the meetings and ~ therefore no record of attendance or the results of the meeting exists. The applicant must take notes of the discussion of the project ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS AND MAPPING--One of the primary functions of a City government is the maintaining of records and maps concerning the development of the community. These areas have apparently been given a very low priority by the Engineering Department. Virtually every mapping system in the City is out of date, including zoning, land use, water and sewer, and annexation. There is a significant backlog of zoning ordinances which have not be,en forwarded to the attorney for final adoption by the City Council. The City s Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances are also in need of updating. A draft Subdivision Ordinance has been prepared for some time but is not being actually reviewed at the present time. There also appears to be confusion over the administration of grading permits, flood plain regulations, and street cuts. Coppell has been very successful in promoting an image of quality by maintaining high standards of development. However, the high standards make it even more essential that the requirements be communicated to builders and developers in a consistent and timely fashion. Maps and administrative systems are a tool used by department personnel on a daily basis. These deficiencies definitely affect productivity of department personnel and others. It also means that to the extent that some of this information is only available in someone's memory, the City is vulnerable. RECOMMENDATIONS: ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS AND MAPPING--The City should give first priority to updating the City's base maps and supporting records. This project represents a significant productivity improvement step for the city staff and will eliminate a potential source of liability for the City. The new subdivision ordinance should be prepared for Council adoption and revising the Zoning Ordinance should be given a high priority. The City should also evaluate additional use of its computer capability as a productivity tool for the department. Potential additional applications include inventory of traffic signs and signals, engineering applications, records management and expanded use of word processing. COMMUNICATIONS--The department should conduct regular staff meetings to open up two-way communications between the City Engineer and his staff. These meetings should be used to coordinate department activities and as an opportunity for department personnel to discuss opportunities to improve department operations. The department should significantly reduce the amount of written correspondence. Written correspondence is time consuming for both the sending party and for all receiving parties. Fortunately the City of Coppell organization is not so large that verbal communications are impractical. It is also suggested that the City Manager continue the discussions within his immediate staff to clarify responsibility areas among and between Engineering, Public Works, Building Inspection and other City personnel. DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE (DRC)--The DRC process needs to be reviewed in light of the City's current and near term development pattern. The present process is time consuming and does not appear to be working for either the staff or the development community. The City may want to consider modifying the current uniform review process to one which relies on submission of plats and subdivision plans to departments and other organizations for their review and comment without a formal set meeting except in those cases where the request appears to be sufficiently complex or controversial as to require the discussion which a meeting would allow. In all cases a memorandum should be prepared at the conclusion of the staff review and comment summarizing the city's position regarding the application. It is recommended that the DRC members of the City Staff be organized as a Task Force to study the city's development review process with the goal of streamlining and simplifying the process while maintaining the city's commitment to a quality product. This review should include input from elected officials, non-city DRC members and the development community. MANAGEMENT REPORTING--The Engineering Department should develop a management reporting system which allows the tracking of key indicators of activities conducted by department personnel. These indicators might track activities such as the following: phone calls and walk-up inquiries by citizens by major category; total value of construction by city and number of projects; number of plats, zoning requests and subdivision plans submitted. The key point concerning the management reporting system is that it should measure key activities and be quantifiable so as to allow comparisons of changes in activity levels from month to month. Use of graphs, as in some departmental reports, can also improve the readability of these reports. ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING--The department needs to establish a process for evaluating a broad range of competing demands for its available time. At the present time, personnel are reacting to situations instead of responding to high priority activities. The department should give high priority to addressing administrative and management system improvements including the operations of the DRC. Consideration should be given to limiting the City's involvement in regional and area-wide committees to only those which directly affect the City of Coppeil organization. Staff in the department must devote time to planning and analysis of the operations of the department. This analysis should involve a regular assignment of activities into the categories "must do", "should do", and "nice to do". This analysis will allow the department to focus its limited resources on those high priority matters which must be completed and limit involvement in those low priority, low pay off areas. FUTURE STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION--The City of Coppell is in transition period relative to its development related activity. In the recent past most development activity was residential in nature. Rapid growth in the residential area has been dampened by the general decline in the metropolitan area. Long term prospects are affected by two principal factors: .(1) the City is landlocked and most residential areas are already planned and, ~n many cases, platted; and (2) most of the remaining undeveloped land in the City is located to the West adjacent to DFW Airport. These two facts mean that the. City will experience a change in the nature of development over the next five to ten years as the residential areas develop out and the City becomes involved in attracting commercial development to the western part of the City. The City Council of Coppell has established a pattern of requiring high standards for development in the community. These standards have served the city well in the development of the City's residential areas because they have contributed to the development of a quality image which has made the City an attractive building environment. In this case the City had a limited supply in an economic area of high demand. As the City transitions to commercial development, the situation will change to one in which Coppell will compete with other cities in the DFW-mid cities area for that development. The challenge to the City will be to make development in Coppell attractive without sacrificing the quality standard which it has established in the past. Recommendations for future staffing and organizational changes are described below. A. Ur. ban Planning--The City needs to give first priority to increasing ~ts staff capacity in the area of urban planning. A position should be established, reporting directly to the City Manager, which will have overall responsibility for directing the City's development related activities. Qualifications for the position include urban planning, development review, economic development and public administration. The initial focus for this position should be to improve overall coordination of the City s physical development regulatory activities including planning and zoning, subdivision regulations, public facilities construction, parks and landscaping. Secondary areas of involvement for this position might include coordination of the "Coppell 2000" project and economic development. Economic development will take on increasing importance as the City's residential areas approach build-out and the focus of development shifts to the commercial areas on the west side. B. Planning and Zoning--The City has begun a consolidation of its code enforcement activities under the Fire Chief. Recently the Building Inspection and Environmental Health operations have been brought under the Fire Chief. This reorganization makes sense and is in line with trends in other organizations. It allows for better coordination of the City's code enforcement activities and for cross utilization of personnel, a key benefit in small organizations. The City should consider a transfer of the Planning and Zoning Coordinator to the Fire Department. The activities of this position are closely related to the City's code enforcement activities. This organizational change will allow for improved overall coordination of these areas, particularly as the City transitions from the pattern of administering new construction to one of maintenance of existing buildings. C. Engineering--The City has utilized a combination fo City staff and technical consultants in the past to meet its need for Engineering expertise. This pattern is followed to varying degrees in the cities which we surveyed. We therefore recommend that the City continue to follow this pattern by employing a small engineering staff geared to meeting the day-to-day needs of the City. This staff should be supplemented as necessary by consulting engineers where special expertise or additional manpower is needed short-term. It is important that project management and workload measurement be established for the City's engineering staff as well. In the future the City si~ould consider consolidation of the Engineering function and Public Works under a Director of Public Works with a broad background in engineering, public works, and water utilities. As mentioned previously, we understand the City is adding a clerical position to the Engineering Department. This additional resource should be used to pick up the clerical tasks such as filing and records maintenance which are presently being performed by the department's professional staff. Attachment A: City of Coppell Planning Ave. Profess. Organizational & Zoning Cases Staff & Arrangement & Population Staff Per Mo. Expertise Function Other Comments Euless 40,000 1 1 1 planner Planning Engineer re- Problem-lack of 2 engr. ports to ACM Devel. re- preparation of 2 const, view committee 1.5 mos. application. insp. for typical zoning. 1 secy. Site plan review adds week to 10 days consul- tants for spec. projects engr. and planning. Duncanville 36,500 - 1 DPW is Ast. PW Dept. includes City City Eng. Eng., Bldg. Insp. DRC- is staff No Econ. Dev. Person. P& Z Cedar Hill 20,000 0 5 None Handled through Code En- forcement. Handled through Bldg. Off. Con- tract Engr. Svcs. Have used contract planner at least one month for zon- ing request. Use DRC & send plans around. Grapevine 27,000 2 3-4 1 planner Planning in Com. Dev. Avg. time 36 1 secy. Dept. with building days-no changes 2 engr. Insp. & Code Enf. Engr. anticipated, 3 const, in Public Works. Use uses joint pub- insp. outside consultants for lic hearing 1 secy. major profects. Inter- with Council & al review of plats, P&Z city has etc., DRC (Tech. Re- has written view Committee) Planner Developers is point of contact. Guide, not well received. Planning Ave. Profess. Organizational & Zoning Cases Staff & Arrangement & Population Staff Per Mo. Expertise Function Other Comments Hurst 33,900 1.5 1 Devel. Dir Used to be part of Pub. .5 secy. Wks. Recently eliminated 1 traf. Planner. Recreated pos- engr. sition as Dir. of Plan- 1 civil ning & Code Enf. & Eco. insp. Dev.--Reports to ACM. 2 const. insp. 1.5 clerk De Soto 30,000 4 1-3 Pl. Dir. Reviews Plans-City Installing GIS/ Reports City Engr reviews plats CAD System 2 tech. does lots of work in $140,000 in- 1 secy. house, uses outside cludes base map PW Dir. CE engr. for design. No & 3 overlays. City Engr. Development Review Com- Eco. Dev. Dir. Eng. Tech. mittee. Reports to CM. 3 const. insp. 1 secy. Lancaster 22,000 1.5 4 ACM = Asst. CM is Planner- City has Econ. Planner prof. background (AICP) Dev. Auth. & DPW = Dir. PW is Engr. DRC-- Ec. Dev. Dir.-- Engr. Reviewed 3 wks. to 4 Doesn't see wks. Uses consultant changes due to J.T. Dunkin & Assoc.- present econ- Traffic Eng. onomy. Burleson 16,000 1.5 - Planner Both report directly .5 secy. to City Manager City City Engr. Engr. does design for Draftsman projects. Uses outside Insp. consultants. Has DRC. .5 secy. Bldg. official seperate.