Reorganization could lead to 20 layoffs in Issaquah

The City of Issaquah could lay off up to 20 employees in February, after a consulting firm pointed out a major redundancy in its operations.

The plan would save the city enough money to start an economic development department, which would focus on bringing in more business.

“This city is not broken,” said Tom Krippaehne, a managing partner of Moss Adams, which provided the report. The city’s finances were in “reasonable shape,” but they need to be strengthened.

While the city wasn’t surprised by the issues the firm pointed out, details about actual changes weren’t certain until Tuesday.

City Administrator Bob Harrison proposed promoting Sheldon Lynne to run Public Works Engineering. Keith Niven, who works under Lynne, would receive a promotion to the head of the new economic development team.

The major changes will happen by summer 2012 with the layoffs complete in February, Harrison said.

Making staff changes right away is good for the city, because people work best with some certainty in their jobs, said John Traeger, Issaquah City Council president.

Moss Adams recommended merging PWE and Public Works Operations, but that change was not in Harrison's plans for next year.

Over the past few years the city has slimmed back its staff to the point where key administrators were doing clerical work. This has been a poor use of resources, and the city needs to hire more support staff, Krippaehne said.

So while 6-20 employees could lose their positions, the total number of staff could stay about the same.

The city is offering a buyout option to the city employees, which would pay severance, but not allow workers to take unemployment benefits, Harrison said.

Moss Adams ran through a list of suggested improvements, which ranged from

cutting out paperwork to doing a better job taking public input.

An internal focus was the Major Development Review Team, which fast tracks permitting for planned communities. The team’s business model has caused tensions with the other planning departments, and frustrated developers who don’t get access to the same streamlined process, according to the report.

While the review team has been efficient at getting permits through, some suggest its taken too many shortcuts. For example, not all of the planned community information has been documented or completed, Krippaehne said.

When the review team was created in 1995, the plan was to shut it down in 2011. Moss Adams recommended continuing the program for at least the next few years, because the economy stymied Highlands development and new developers have started using the fast-track review team, including Rowley Properties and Swedish Hospital.

Part of the recommendation was to consider streamlining other permit processes or absorbing the review team into the planning department.

The city was marked down for poor communication between departments and for weak and inconsistent performance reviews. One director told Moss Adams he hadn’t received a review in years.

The council was charged to boil down some of its 14 boards and commissions, such as the Planning Policy Commission and the Urban Village Development Commission, both of which look at development in the city.

While not all of the suggestions may result in changes, the city has planned an aggressive start.

“These studies are hard,” Krippaehne said. “They’re hard because of change.”

 

Contact Issaquah Reporter Staff Writer Celeste Gracey at cgracey@issaquahreporter.com or 425-391-0363.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.