City Considers Combining Inspections, Planning Departments

By Kate Schott, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

Jun. 4–The Building and Inspections Department would become a division of the Planning Department under a measure the La Crosse Common Council is set to consider this month.

The resolution would make the inspection department a division of the retitled Planning and Development Department, which City Planner Larry Kirch would oversee.

It would not be the first time Building and Inspections has gone through a transition, Human Resources Director Jim Geissner said. Several years ago, the department was a division of Public Works, but was made into a standalone department in either 2000 or 2001, Geissner said.

The city has evaluated the department again and determined it makes sense to make Building and Inspections a division of the Planning Department, he said.

Conversations with the staffs of both departments have found the two share resources and often work collaboratively on the same projects, Geissner said. Making them one department and putting them on the same floor of City Hall should lead to more efficient public service to residents, he added.

Other Wisconsin cities of comparable size — including Eau Claire, Oshkosh and Stevens Point — have inspections as a division of either planning or community development departments. A few others, like Beloit and Racine, have inspections as a division of Public Works.

“It just seems to make sense,” Geissner said. “We think it will result in one-stop shop for economic development. (Residents) can do zoning and planning and land use on the same floor of City Hall.”

If approved, the building and inspections director position would be eliminated; a chief inspector would be named and would report to Kirch. The combination should result in annual savings of at least $100,000, due to having to pay the salary and benefits of one less department head, Geissner said. The city currently has 15 department heads.

It also would move the Planning Department to the third floor of City Hall, swapping places with the Parks and Recreation Department currently is. The existing Building and Inspections Department already is on the third floor.

Other measures Council will consider in June include:

–A resolution reducing capital budget borrowing by 10 percent each year for a period of 10 years beginning with the capital budget.

–Multiple requests from council members and city departments for the 2008-2012 capital budget. The budget is acted on later this year.

–A report of the traffic engineer relating to traffic signals at Main and 16th streets. The study, which the council commissioned, found there is not enough traffic to warrant signals at the intersection of Main and 16th streets.

City department heads

A department head reports directly to the mayor of La Crosse. It does not include positions such as city clerk, who is elected. Several — including the recycling, streets, wastewater and water departments — report to the director of Public Works. The city treasurer reports to the finance director. The Library director reports to the library board.

–Airport Manager — Dan Wruck

–City Assessor — Mark Schlafer

–City Attorney — Stephen Matty

–City Planner — Larry Kirch

–Building and Inspections — interim department head is Bill Branson. The Common Council is considering making this a division of the Planning Department.

–City Engineer — Randy Turtenwald

–Finance — Gene Pfaff

–Fire Chief — Gregg Cleveland

–Human Resources — Jim Geissner

–Information Services — David Montealegre

–La Crosse Center — Art Fahey

–MTU — Keith Carlson

–Parks and Recreation — Steven C. Carlyon is scheduled to start later this month.

–Police Chief — Ed Kondracki

–Public Works — Dale Hexom

Upcoming council meetings

All meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 400 La Crosse St., unless otherwise noted.

–June 4: Plan Commission, 4 p.m. in the fifth floor conference room at City Hall.

–June 5: Judiciary and Administration Committee.

–June 6: Highways, Properties and Utilities Committee

–June 7: Finance and Personnel Committee

–June 12: Committee of the Whole

–June 14: Common Council

Kate Schott can be reached at kschott@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8226.

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Copyright (c) 2007, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

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