The Board of Supervisors requested the Budget Analyst to conduct a management audit of the Planning Department of the City and County of San Francisco in FY 2001-02. The purpose of the audit was to review and assess all aspects of the Department"s operations and identify opportunities for improving the its economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The audit scope included all Department functions and areas of jurisdiction, including:

Audit Methods

Methods used for this audit included interviews with: an entrance conference with the Department Director and the Department"s top managers; interviews with the President of the Planning Commission, Zoning Administrator and all managers; some or all supervisors from each division; the majority of planner staff from every division through focus groups; the Department"s finance officer; the Department Information Services manager and selected staff from that division; and, individual administrative and support staff. Numerous individuals external to the Department were also interviewed including: former Department employees; representatives of other City and local agencies that interact with the Department on a regular basis; and, representatives of neighborhood, community groups and professional associations with an interest or involvement in the planning function.

Numerous Department documents were reviewed and analyzed including: staffing rosters and organization charts; numerous sections of the General Plan and Planning Code; Planning Commission resolutions and meeting minutes; Board of Supervisors legislation pertaining to planning; staff reports on a wide variety of topics; budgeted and actual expenditures and revenues for the current and previous four years; the Department"s fee schedule; code enforcement records; documentation concerning the Department"s information systems; turnover records; and, other documents. The Department"s web site was reviewed as were brochures and handout materials provided to the public regarding development project applications and other Department functions.

A sample of Commission case files were reviewed to understand and track the application process from beginning to end. Processing cycle time was reviewed in this way in conjunction with special runs from the Department"s computer systems. Certain cases were reviewed in greater detail including interviews with the staff planner for the case and reviews of relevant Planning Code and General Plan sections. All Planning Commission agendas and minutes from 2001 were reviewed and activities catalogued. Commission meetings were attended as were public meetings of the Zoning Administrator, the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board and the Board of Appeals. Operations at the Planning Information Center were observed over a three day period.

A random sample of development project applicants were surveyed about their experience in going through the application and Planning Commission approval processes. This included Discretionary Review applicants as well as most other common type of applications. A survey was conducted of other cities throughout the California and the nation based on their comparability in size and scope or their reputations as leaders in the field.

Field work was conducted between October 2001 and March 2002.

Accomplishments of the Department

The Planning Department provides an extensive scope of services covering land use and development in most of San Francisco. While the Department"s work is often technically complex, the staff faces the additional ongoing challenge of having to conduct their analyses on individual development projects and long range plans in an often contentious environment. Every week planning staff has to interpret the complex Planning Code and develop recommendations on projects that don"t always please project applicants or neighbors. The Department operates an active training program for planning staff involved in processing development project applications.

The Department"s long range planning unit has recently embarked on several innovative approaches to their efforts involving more extensive community involvement than has typically occurred in the past. The ongoing Better Neighborhoods program and the new community planning process for five neighborhoods both are taking the approach of involving the community in updating planning and zoning regulations for their neighborhoods. To improve public access to planning issues, the Department has recently prepared a General Plan summary document that is visually appealing and easier to read than the full General Plan. To better address individual neighborhood concerns, the Department reorganized its staff responsible for processing development project applications into four geographic quadrants of the City.

The Department has made progress in a number of areas compared to the last management audit performed by the Budget Analyst in 1998. The Public Information Center is one example where substantial improvements have been made. The Department has reinstated its Planning Code enforcement effort and dedicated six staff positions for this purpose. The Department"s office facilities and computer equipment have also improved.

Acknowledgments

The Budget Analyst would like to thank the management and staff of the Planning Department for their cooperation during this management audit. In addition, we would like to thank management and staff of the Department of Building Inspection for their assistance in this audit.