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Home My WebLink About12/1/2004 - STAFF REPORTS (14) CONSENT CALENDAR DATE: December 1, 2004 ITEM #7 TO: City Council — - -- --FROM: Assistant City Manager - Ad min istratio I -- SUBJECT: Temporary Planning Services RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council approve and authorize the City Attorney to prepare a Contract Services Agreement with Willdan in an amount not-to-exceed $40,000 for temporary planning services. SUMMARY: The Planning Department has experienced significant turnover in staffing over the past twelve months. At one point this summer the Planning Department had as many as three vacant positions. This has created a number of problems including delays in processing development applications, poor customer service, and declining morale amongst the remaining staff. In order to provide the resources necessary to keep up with the high volume of development activity while the City conducted recruitments for the vacant positions, the City retained Willdan to provide temporary planning services. Although the City has been able to fill many of the vacant positions, a principal planner position is still vacant. Until this position is filled, staff believes it would be advantageous to continue utilizing Willdan for temporary planning services. BACKGROUND: This past summer the Planning Services Department experienced several personnel changes resulting in a number of vacancies in key positions. At one time the Department had as many as three key positions vacant. These vacancies caused numerous delays, as well as created a huge backlog of projects in a department that was already at maximum capacity. To provide the necessary staffing to keep the department functional while recruitments were being conducted for the vacant positions, staff contacted several firms that provide temporary staffing to public agencies. Due to the tight job market, only one firm, Willdan, was able to provide the necessary staffing to meet the City's needs. Willdan is an engineering, planning, and financial management firm established in 1964 to serve public agencies. The firm provides a full range of planning services, from the preparation of long-range policy plans to assistance with the day to day operations of a planning department. Since their inception, they have provided services to over 400 public agencies throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada. In September, the City Manager entered into a contract services agreement with Willdan to provide temporary planning services. Under this agreement, Willdan provided two experienced planners (a Principal Planner and Associate Planner) on a full-time basis. The firm agreed to an hourly rate of $90.00 per hour for the Principal Planner and $80.00 per hour for the Associate Planner. The total not-to-exceed cost of the contract was $24,990. The City has now filled most of the vacant positions with the exception of a Principal Planner position. This is a key position in the department. Although a recruitment is underway, it is not likely to be completed for another 60 to 90 days. Until this position is permanently filled, staff believes that it would be in the best interest of the department to maintain a contract with Willdan for the Principal Planner position. Willdan has indicated that they are prepared to meet the City's needs and can continue to provide Philip Block as a Principal Planner. Mr. Block has over 30 years of experience in the field of planning, which includes the management and preparation of long-range planning studies and public policy plans, environmental impact assessments, zoning administration, building inspection, and the formulation of housing and neighborhood improvement programs. Mr. Block has worked for numerous cities including Brentwood, Saratoga, Placerville, and West Sacramento. Before working for Willdan, Mr. Block worked for the City of Merced as the Planning/Community Development Director. A copy of Mr. Block's resume is attached for your review. Willdan understands the City's situation and has agreed to extend their original rate of $90.00 per hour for Mr. Block until the City has completed its recruitment. This rate includes all expenses and incidental charges. Assuming Mr. Block works an average 40 hours per week, the total monthly cost is approximately $14,400. Although this was not a budgeted expense in the current fiscal year, funding is available in the Department's personnel line item (4151-40000) from anticipated salary savings from the vacant Principal Planner position, as well as in the contractual services line item (4151-43200). r� \\\ Z-/AF / I !Tr' L. ButzUffA' sistant City Manager- Administration � i APPROVED -- City Manager Attachments: L 1. Resume of Philip Block 2. Minute Order 2 PHILIP W. BLOCK, AICP Senior Planner Mr. Philip W. Block has over 30 years of experience in the field of planning,which includes the management and preparation of long-range planning studies and public policy plans, environmental impact assessment, zoning administration, building inspection, and the formulation of housing and neighborhood improvement programs. The majority of his career as a planner has been spent serving the City of Merced in increasingly responsible capacities that culminated in a 20-year tenure as the City's Planning/Community Development Director. During this period, he brought distinction to the City and to himself by accomplishments that included: • Three comprehensive general Plan updates. One that was begun under his direction,received the 1997 California Chapter American Planning Association Comprehensive Planning Award for Small Cities • Preparation of a 40-year Community Vision Plan • Development of a master plan for 8,000 acres with pedestrian and transit oriented villages • Preparation of specific plans, community plans, corridor plans, neighborhood revitalization plans, and park, open space and trail plans. • Formulation of multi-modal transportation plans. • Participation in downtown redevelopment projects and economic development activities. • Completion of zoning ordinance and development code updates • Establishment of effective customer service programs and development review streamlining. • Considerable development review experience with general plan amendments, zone changes, annexations, subdivisions, use permits, site plan review, landscape and architectural review • Preparation of widely acclaimed Planning Commission Handbook • Department Head for Planning, Building Inspection and Housing Divisions Specific Willdan project experience includes: • City of Brentwood—Mr. Block assisted the City with the processing of development applications on an as-needed basis. • City of Saratoga — Mr. Block served as an extension of City staff assisting with the processing of development applications, and other Planning Department functions fora 6 month period while the City attempted to fill several vacant in-house positions. • City of Placerville—Mr. Block assisted the City with the processing of an annexation. He performed all tasks associated with the processing of the annexation application. • City of West Sacramento—Mr. Block assisted the City with the day-to-day operations of its Planning Department while the City attempted to fill several vacant, in-house positions. With Willdan, Mr. Block has assisted cities during times of staff vacancies and heavy workloads. Mr. Block also previously worked as a Planning Consultant and for Clark County Nevada on a Park and Open Space Master Plan. PROFESSIONAL AWARDS American Planning Association 1995 Public Education Award nomination California Chapter American Planning Association 1997 Award for Small Cities Outstanding Comprehensive Planning Merced Vision 2015 General Plan (he directed early phases) 1995 Planning Education Award 1990 Leadership Award: Merced's 2030 Vision Plan 1988 Award for Outstanding Planning Reflecting a Social Commitment South Merced Revitalization Plan Central Section California Chapter American Planning Association 1985 Award for Merced's Park and Open Space Master Plan 1984 Award for Merced's Yosemite Parkway Design Plan EDUCATION California State University, Stanislaus, 1991 Master of Public Administration University of Arizona, 1971 Master of Science, Urban Planning California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 1966 Bachelor of Science, Ornamental Horticulture PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS American Institute of Certified Planners, 1978 American Planning Association, 1974 American Institute of Planners, 1970 Director Central Section California Chapter American Planning Association EXHIBITION Major Exhibition of Urban and Environmental Planning and Design Commemorating 50 Years of City Planning in Merced, Merced Civic Center Exhibition Hall, 1994 PRESENTATIONS Professional Planners • Speaker on Planning Education at the American Planning Association/Canadian Institute of Planners International Conference in Toronto, Canada, 1995 • Speaker and moderator on Orienting and Training Planning Commissioners Session at American Planning Association (APA) Conference, Los Angeles, 1986 • Speaker on Merced's Interface Overlay Zoning Regulations at the American Planning Association (APA)Annual Zoning Institute, San Francisco, 1982 Planning Commissioners • Seminar on City Images and the Built Environment at the Stanislaus County Planning Commission Workshop (Ceres, CA), 1989 • Seminar on Long-Range Planning Techniques at Merced County Planning Commission Workshop (Atwater, CA), 1987 Elected Officials • Speaker on Merced's Pedestrian and transit(Village) Oriented Planning at the Local Government Commission Workshop (Visalia, CA), 1994 PUBLICATIONS "Merced College for Kids Planning," Resources: A Newsletter for People Teaching Kids About Planning, (APA), Fall/Winter 1995 "Merced's 2030 Plan," California Planner, May 1991 "What Made the South Merced Improvement Plan Work?" California Planner, March 1989 "An Approach to Park and Recreation Planning for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area," Masters Degree Internship Report/Thesis, University of Arizona, 324 pp., 1971. "Capital Improvement Programming," Research Bulletin, Division of Economic and Business Research, College of Business and Public Administration, University of Arizona, 1971 (with Robert D. Carpenter, Chairman of the Urban Planning Program) 8/20/04 0 MINUTE ORDER NO. APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO PREPARE A CONTRACT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH WILLDAN IN AN AMOUNT NOT-TO-EXCEED $40,000 FOR TEMPORARY PLANNING SERVICES. --------------- I HEREBY CERTIFY that this Minute Order, approving and authorizing the City Attorney to prepare a Contract Services Agreement with Willdan in an amount not-to-exceed $40,000 was adopted by the City Council of the City of Palm Springs, California, in a meeting thereof held on the 1St day of December, 2004. Kathy Hart Acting City Clerk 3