Gilroy
– In the first move in what promises to be a major county
reorganization, County Executive Pete Kutras Jr. proposed this week
to disband the Environmental Resources Agency, which includes the
departments of Planning, Development Services, Parks and Recreation
and a variety of environment-related d
ivisions including Agriculture.
Gilroy – In the first move in what promises to be a major county reorganization, County Executive Pete Kutras Jr. proposed this week to disband the Environmental Resources Agency, which includes the departments of Planning, Development Services, Parks and Recreation and a variety of environment-related divisions including Agriculture.
The reorganization affects county services from permitting and plan checks to mosquito control and restaurant and gas station safety. None of the agencies operating under the ERA umbrella will be eliminated. They will instead be merged or folded into other departments. Environmental Health and Vector Control will function under the auspices of the Division of Agriculture, in the new Department of Environmental Management. The Planning department will merge with Development Services.
There are no job cuts associated with the move, and county officials stressed that the public won’t notice any change in services as a result, but county staffers will be a little busier. The Planning and Development departments are already trying to fill the equivalent of 13.5 staff positions.
Gilroy builder Gary Thompson said Wednesday that the staff shortages make working with the department a “headache.” The typical plan check takes six weeks, longer than with the cities of Gilroy and San Jose.
“They’re not a whole lot of help to you,” Thompson said.
The proposed Department of Environmental Management will be led by Agriculture Commissioner Greg Van Wassenhove. Van Wassenhove said there will be no impact on the people his agency serves.
“There’s no impact other than budget savings,” Van Wassenhove said. “We have a $127 million deficit and we need to reduce county expenditures. I think this reorganization is necessary.”
Ben Gale, who has been director of environmental services for the last five years said that “at the program and services level, this will be about as transparent a change as there can possibly be. It will be seamless transition.”
Next week, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to eliminate 280 vacant positions from a county workforce about 16,000. That move would save $18.5 million from the budget.
The reorganization was inspired by the departures of two directors, Tim Chow, from the ERA, and Thomas Shih, from Development Services, who will step down later this year.
The reorganization means the county will not have to fill either position or replace some support staff. Other ERA support staff have already been reassigned. Kutras said he won’t know how much the shakeup will save until final decisions are made regarding support staff, but the savings could be as much as a million dollars.
Supervisor Don Gage said that only upper-level officials will notice the changes in the chain of command.
“There won’t be any adverse affect to the public because what we’ll be moving is management, and we’re streamlining,” Gage said. “Any reduction in service is transparent because it’s at the highest level. We’ll be asking the people below that level to work harder.”
Gage said the reorganization would be beneficial under any economic circumstances, but also said that the economy determines whether spending money or saving is the best way to serve county residents.
“We should be looking at it in all times, but when there’s plenty of money it’s not as critical,” he said. “It’s like hiring a (public relations) person when you have more money. You spend more money but you get your message out to a lot of people. This is nothing different than any business would do in good times and bad times.”
Deputy County Executive Jane Decker said Wednesday that the proposed changes mirror the way the county used to do business. The ERA has existed for only a decade, and until seven years ago, Planning and Development Services worked as one agency. They continue to share office space.
“With the opportunity to look at different structures, I think everyone agrees it makes sense to put them back together,” Decker said. “I don’t think anyone coming in for a permit will see any difference. This gives us the potential to operate more smoothly.”
Former Planning Director Ann Draper left the county in September to join the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Her job is still open. None of the 280 vacant jobs that will be eliminated from the budget come from Planning.
As for the employees who will have to work harder, Gage said they should welcome the opportunity.
“This will be good for morale because it gives people more opportunity to shine,” he said. “It will reduce the chain of command and give people more authority to do the job they’re supposed to do.”
The proposal will be officially presented to the Board of Supervisors in May, when County Executive Pete Kutras Jr. unveils his budget for the coming fiscal year. Gage said the changes will be approved.
“We pretty much let Pete run his organization,” he said.
