Document text
Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad September 23, 2005 City planning department under review By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings The organizational audit of the planning division of Ashland’s Department of Community Development began this week. Bill Molnar, acting director of the city’s planning department, said the audit was scheduled to “help improve operations and efficiencies within the department” and noted that it is not meant to deal with planning policy issues. “[City Administrator Gino Grimaldi] and the council wanted to take a look at how the department is organized and if we could do a better job serving our customers,” Molnar said. Paul Zucker, a nationally recognized planning consultant from San Diego, began his work on Tuesday by touring the department and talking with Molnar and Grimaldi separately. “He wanted to see the physical layout of the department,” Molnar said. “What kind of functions we perform, how the front counter works.” On Wednesday morning, he met individually with each city councilor and later that day with a panel of people representative of those who often utilize planning services. Molnar said the panel was comprised primarily of people in the development and construction fields, such as Evan Archerd, a developer, Peter Cipes, a building designer, and Jerome White, an architect. “It’s representing people who tend to use the department more often,” Molnar said. There will be an additional panel in October for Zucker to talk with people concerned about the planning process but are not necessarily clients of the planning department. Molnar added that the consultant requested both the councilor and panel discussions be closed to the public, the press and other planning commissioners. “He thought people might be reluctant to share their real, true and honest thoughts if a planning commission member or someone from the newspaper is there,” Molnar said. Zucker and Molnar discussed the possibility of dedicating one planner in the department to longer-range issues. “A lot of times bigger cities will have a planner that does long-range planning,” Molnar said. “We’ve always been set up where planners dabble in both areas.” Long-range planning, said Molnar, usually requires much research and extended periods of academic-like work. This, he said, can be tricky when balancing it with daily chores and responsibilities. Zucker will be taking a close look at whether Ashland should consider a dedicated planner for long-range projects. --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.