York Town News
Manager presents plan to redefine land use planning at Town Hall
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - After years of controversy, the Code Enforcement Office - and land use planning in general - may be entering a new phase, following a proposal by the town manager to reorganize the way departments are managed at Town Hall.On Monday evening, Dec. 11, the Board of Selectmen gave its unanimous support to a proposal from Town Manager Rob Yandow to realign the town's Code Enforcement Office, Planning Department and Geographical Information Systems into a new Community Development Department.
"None of the functions of the affected departments would be discontinued or amended," Yandow explained in his memorandum on the proposal. "What would be amended is the management and leadership structure within town government."
Yandow told the selectmen this is not an economic development department by any means, but would instead include the current functions of land use planning and enforcement under a new manager.
"When you have one person in charge of different departments," Yandow said, "…you spend more time on the mission of those particular departments."
Following on recent years of difficulties, including a full review by a selectmen-appointed committee, the Code Enforcement Office has not been at full staff since the resignation of Senior Managing Code Enforcement Officer Mark Badger this summer due to health reasons.
"Since Mark's resignation I have explored various means to achieve effective management of the Code Department. In following the traditional method, the position of Managing Code Enforcement Officer was advertised both internally and externally," Yandow explained in his memorandum.
A total of four candidates were interviewed by Yandow, Human Resources Director Gretchen Seaver and Town Planner Steve Burns, Yandow said, but a candidate with the management experience he was seeking was not found.
"While we were advertising the position of managing code enforcement officer and reviewing applications as they came in, I was, at the same time, formulating a second approach to developing a sound management structure in the Code Department," Yandow explained. "The second approach consisted of an internal reorganization that would create a Community Development Department, which would house the Planning Department, Code Department and GIS operations."
To make this plan a reality, Yandow said, there is the need for a new position to be created, which will be covered largely from the existing salary line for the managing code enforcement position but will need some additional funds.
"The salary, while not finalized, would be in the vicinity of $80,000," he noted in his memorandum to the board. "The bulk of this salary is already budgeted for the Managing Code Enforcement Officer; however, some additional funds would need to be included in the fiscal 2008 operating budget for this position."
The plan is still being formulated, Yandow said, but he wanted to submit the concept to the Board of Selectmen for its approval, as is provided for within the York Home Rule Charter.
"Under this concept, a director of Community Development would be appointed to manage these departments while performing a series of additional duties related to the general concept of community development," Yandow explained in his memorandum, adding he has become "convinced that the establishment of a Community Development Department was the best approach, not only for management-related issues in the Code Department but in terms of operational efficiency for community services as well."
The director is expected to be responsible for supervision and coordination of the departments, with an emphasis on supervision of the Code Enforcement Office, as well as other duties including managing grant applications, serving as the point of contact for issues related to the newly-approved Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) District in York Beach, addressing community development issues and serving as a liaison to various local, regional, state and federal agencies related to community development and housing issues.
While the board gave a preliminary nod to the proposal, the discussions will continue, especially with regard to budgeting questions.
Selectmen Chairman David Marshall, for example, questioned whether the town would have the manpower necessary to cover its existing enforcement needs with the changes to this new position.
"With the same number of human beings … how do we get done what Mark Badger did, himself, before?" he asked.
With the voters' approval in May of the shoreland enforcement position, Yandow said, "that person is going to be able to do some of those things with the emphasis on enforcement."
Earlier in the meeting he noted the field for the shoreland post has been narrowed to two candidates, and his hope is to have that position filled next month.
Selectman Len Dorrian brought up issues related to fee-based services in the department and funding for enforcement employees.
"Philosophically, I'm opposed to adding more people," he said, later adding, "They need additional resources … but, philosophically, I'd like to do that on a contract basis."
Yandow said the use of fees to fund staff services will be part of the discussion during the annual budget presentation and review process, set to begin next month.
In making the motion to approve the new department and the creation of the position, Selectmen Vice Chairman Dwight Bardwell said the need for such a manager is clear, and issues such as funding and fees will be something that new manager will oversee.
Marshall agreed there is a need for a strong manager and said he supports the proposal, but cautioned, "We've now replaced one of our worker bees with another manager … we've got to make sure we've addressed that the work can still get done."
With the board's approval, Yandow's next step will be to create a more detailed job description as the budget approval portion of the proposal moves forward in January. In the meantime, he said, the position may have to be filled on an interim basis as funding for the salary will be contingent upon the May vote.
The Board of Selectmen's next regular meeting is scheduled for Jan. 8.
