7.6. SR 03-28-1994
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AGENDA ITEM 7.6.
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL
STEVEN B. ACH, CITY PLANNER~
MARCH 28, 1994
DATE:
SUBJECT: CONSIDER ESTABLISHING A
PLANNING INTERN POSITION
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Currently the Planning Department's functions are carried out by Gary
Schmitz and myself. Both Gary and I share in all the responsibilities
ranging from assisting the public with general planning information,
processing various planning applications such as rezoning, conditional use
permits and variances, as well as meeting with builders and developers on
various projects. However, the Comprehensive Plan update process is now
beginning to grab hold and getting ready to take off, and I foresee myself
having to dedicate more time to coordinating this process. Therefore, the role
of the Planning Intern would assist in reallocating some of the assignments
by handling the day to day telephone calls with general planning questions,
respond to walk in inquiries, and assist in reviewing some of the more
straightforward planning applications. In addition, the Intern will also be
able to assist in collecting information for the Comprehensive Plan update as
well as providing assistance with surveys and research to support various
Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance. One example that comes to mind is
the recent concern expressed by the Council regarding lot sizes in the RIC
single family zoning district. The Intern could do the preliminary data
collection work and provide that information for further analysis by either
Gary or myself. This data collection effort usually involves telephone surveys
to other communities which provides valuable information; however, takes a
considerable amount of time and prevents other functions from being
performed.
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As mentioned Wednesday night at the joint meeting between the Planning
Commission and City Council, this next update of the Comprehensive Plan,
and growth within the next five to ten years, will playa significant role in
shaping Elk River's future. Therefore, it is important the City position itself
to deal with growth and development issues on a proactive basis as opposed
to reactionary. The Planning Intern will provide that needed assistance to
move to the forefront of the issues that lie ahead.
P.O. Box 490 · 13065 Orono Parkway · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
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In terms of cost to the City, it is estimated that a graduate intern would
begin somewhere around $9.00 per hour and end up at $10.00 per hour.
Assuming this person was to be hired and begin work sometime around the
first part of May, the cost for the rest of the year would be roughly $13,000.
Attached is a memo dated August 26, 1993, which identifies specific tasks the
intern would be expected to perform.
REQUESTED ACTION
The City Council is requested to direct staff to prepare a job description for
the Planning Intern along with an acceptable hourly pay range and begin
making contact with various schools for possible candidates. This job
description will be brought back to the City Council for their approval at a
forthcoming meeting.
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TO:
FROM:
PAT KLAERS, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
STEVE ACH, CITY PLANNER~~
DATE: AUGUST 26, 1993
SUBJECT: PLANNING INTERN
Over the past two months, I have developed a comfortable
understanding of the administrative and planning process as
well as time and effort needed to complete necessary tasks. I
believe there are some changes that can be made within the
department which would improve the efficiency of delivering
planning services to the residents and development community.
Some changes have been made and others will be implemented over
the upcoming months. Most of the changes are organizational or
procedural, nevertheless, will help improve the efficiency of
the department.
As I suspected, Elk River is going to experience a lot of
development pressure. The development interest is not of one
variety, rather spans the entire gamut from residential and
commercial to planning industrial parks. I have received a lot
of calls from interested developers, business owners and
4It realtors expressing an interest to develop in Elk River.
All this development activity, coupled with the important task
of updating the Growth Management Plan, brings me to my request
for including a planning intern in the 1994 budget. The
objective in hiring an intern would be to free-up some of my
time to concentrate on the Growth Management Plan and other
"big picture" planning issues that face the City. The
following are tasks that I perceive could be performed by an
intern:
Answering general questions from residents regarding
zoning and land use issues (i.e., setbacks)
Prepare maps and other graphics for presentation at
the Planning Commission and City Council meetings.
With the possibility of City Council and Planning
Commission meetings being broadcast on cable, quality
exhibits are important.
Conduct surveys of other communities and/or perform
research for various code amendments and other issues
as directed by the Planning Commission and/or City
Council.
4It
Assist with organizing
information system for
researching information.
an efficient management
tracking projects and
P.O. Box 490 · 13065 Orono Parkway · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
.
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Planning Intern
August 26, 1993
Page 2
Conduct site inspections of development projects
conditional use permits to insure projects
completed in compliance with approved plans
conditions as approved by the City Council.
and
are
and
Assist with Growth Management Plan. For example,
conduct field work verifying the actual use of
property in order to accurately discuss land use
amendments, changes in zoning, redevelopment
opportunities, etc.
Prepare reports for the Planning Commission and City
Council that are relatively straightforward and less
controversial.
In conclusion, I firmly believe the addition of a planning
intern will be a valuable source of assistance. The planning
intern and planning assistant will provide the personnel to
manage the current planning demands and develop a framework and
strategic plan to address the long term development issues
facing the community.
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