‘We’re the next Kelowna’: Vernon considers new planning manager to improve development process

Oct 11, 2023 | 2:00 PM

The City of Vernon could be improving its development process with a new planning manager.

At the regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10, Vernon council received a request to re-establish a position within the planning and development team during budget deliberations.

The current planning manager position would be the third in the department alongside the long-range planning manager and under the general manager of city planning.

The current planning manager would be tasked with overseeing the high profile and high-volume planning operations by participating in advanced and complex development negotiations, streamlining the innovation and planning processes, managing consistent and fair applications of bylaws and relevant policies, and ensuring the planning team provides a high level of customer service.

“Dividing the tasks between long range planning and current planning is how the rest of British Columbia does it and is good practice,” Terry Barton, Director of Community Infrastructure and Development, told council, adding the general manager will ensure the long-term and current planning managers work together.

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The cost of funding the position was estimated at up to $151,000.

Councillor Akbal Mund stated there was a need for this position, pointing to a recent development variance permit that took nearly a full year to process.

“This position is needed, it’s not one we should take lightly because we’re only going to get busier,” Mund said during the meeting.

“We’re the next Kelowna. I know a lot of people don’t think that way but I’m telling you we’re going to keep growing over the next 10, 15 years here. So it’s something to consider, and if we don’t grow with staff as well, then we will not be able to manage it.”

Mund added approving permits in a more timely manner will also mean more money coming in to the city.

Councillors Teresa Durning and Kari Gares also added their support for the new position.

“I absolutely believe that, as time goes on and the department pressure increases and the productivity expectation increases, that this certainly might be a good option and I’m absolutely willing to support it,” Durning stated.

“This has been something that we’ve been talking about for a least the last five years for ourselves: if you require the manpower to help find inefficiencies within the department so that we can make concrete improvements that overall are a true benefit to the taxpayer, to the corporation as whole, that’s something that is absolutely necessary,” Gares added.

Council voted unanimously in favour of considering the hiring of a new current planning manager at the cost of up to $151,000, funded through taxation, at the 2024 budget deliberations.

Speaking with Vernon Matters after Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Victor Cumming said having a new current planning manager could help improve the development process.

“People will know that our development process has been record setting last year, looks like it’s on pace again this year, and we just need more capacity in our approvals part,” Cumming said, adding the new position will take some pressure off the staff that are “stretched” in their roles.

“It means you’ve got more capacity to deal with the applications and you’ve got more sophisticated capacity because the manager is highly skilled. So we will have added significant capacity when we add that person, so very important.”

The budget deliberations will be held in December.

by Liam Verster

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