Posted on: Thursday, March 31, 2005

EDITORIAL
City permit process must get up to speed

The Hannemann administration took office knowing it had problems within the city's Department of Planning and Permitting. And it had some sensible ideas to address those problems, which are well on their way toward making a difference.

But more can be done. The department is almost 20 percent understaffed in the middle of a construction boom. The city is on track to issue almost 20 percent more permits this year than it did in 2003.

The Planning and Permitting Department has a big role to play here. Its work is vital to the safety and financial security of this community. It ensures that projects conform to city building code, because that's what makes for sound structures and less work for liability lawyers.

But the department is so overwhelmed that valuable commerce is grinding to a near-halt. It's bad enough that a homeowner must make three or four visits, at up to five hours each, to get approval for a basic addition. In fairness, there are times when mistakes on the homeowners' part lengthens the process as well.

Still, it's an economic disaster when a new subdivision is delayed for months. That's jobs lost, home sales postponed, tax revenues lost.

Hannemann's decision to order the department to simplify, streamline and reduce time spent waiting in lines is a good move, provided it doesn't lead to cutting corners. The challenge here is to do the job right, and to do it more efficiently.

Letting private engineers review plans is an experiment. It may end up being part of the solution, but the idea must prove itself in a limited fashion before relying on it to take up more of the slack.

The obvious answer is more staff. The department says it has nine new hires, but it needs another 40 or 50, and they'll require training of six months to a year.

We're not suggesting throwing money at this problem will help. That said, however, one must wonder if the large number of vacancies is partly the result of pay scales that are out of date and uncompetitive. We not only need bodies, but these staffers should be among the best and the brightest.