Title
Presentation by Cities Work and Possible Action of Council Support of an Evaluation of the County's Permitting Requirements and Processes
Recommended Action
I move that Council support engaging with Cities Work to evaluate the County's permitting requirements and processes.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager supports engaging in discussions with the community and organizations that result in constructive feedback for improvement, however remains cautious in spending staff resources on areas of concern that are outside of the County's jurisdiction.
Body
Cities Work presented to the Small Business Working Group of Council at the request of the Local Business Coalition. Although Cities Work have generally worked with larger cities and in states outside of New Mexico, they have expressed an interest in evaluating Los Alamos.
Cities Work will present using the slides included in Attachment A.
Areas of concern about the County's permitting process that are outside of the local jurisdiction include the following: State of New Mexico's Anti-Donation Clause in the State Constitution, adoption of the building codes (International Building Code, fire code, plumbing code, electrical code, energy code, etc.) by the State of NM, and inspections such as plumbing, electrical, food handling, child care, and others that are not County permits or inspections.
Alternatives
Council could choose not to support an evaluation by Cities Work or provide alternative guidance.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Unplanned Item
Although there is no cost the County for this evaluation, the staff time and resources needed to support the evaluation is unknown.
Attachments
A - Cities Work Presentation