A new position is in the process of being added to the city ranks as a result of a revamping of the North Royalton Building Department. Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz introduced legislation at the May 4 City Council meeting that would add the position of Planner to the Building Department.
Antoskiewicz said that “it’s really part of a re-organization of everything. Part of what I want to do, since we got a new Engineer, we did some self-analysis. This new position will take over the boards of BZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) and the Planning Commission.” By adding this position, it will free up the current secretary in the Engineering Department to allow her to be a full-time secretary for that department. “Hopefully, that planner can interact with Engineering, when people come in. We also think that with the planning end, they can understand the zoning and what needs to be done in order to help guide those people,” said Antoskiewicz.
The position of Planner will report to Community Development Director, Tom Jordan. He explained that “when we get an application, they should be gone over to make more complete. Quite often we get incomplete applications. We try to decipher the applications and make them more complete; we end up spending too much time during the Planning Commission meetings. The main focus of the job of Building Commissioner or City Engineer does not address this. This would make the application process more streamline. It’s really about understanding the code.”
According to the job description, the Planner “assists the Community Development Director in leading the City’s long and short term planning efforts by overseeing the Planning and Zoning Commissions; oversees the development and implementation of various projects, studies and/or programs; coordinating, overseeing and facilitating the operations of commercial development and housing strategies; resolves problems and interpreting guidelines and regulations; reconciles various payments and expenditures; writes and reviews various planning studies and reports; assist property owners, developers, etc., on matters relating to the City’s planning, community and economic development programs and policies; reviews zoning permit applications and completes site plan reviews.”
The qualifications for the position are a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Urban Studies, Urban Geography, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Public Administration, or related field, but a Master’s degree is preferred. Also, three to five years of progressively responsible related experience, or a combination of education, training and experience.
The ordinance added the position of Planner, and also the position of (temporary) Administrative Secretary (for training of new employee based on anticipated retirement) to the Building Department. Council unanimously adopted the position, but not before Ward 5 Council Representative Vince Weimer noted, “We’re between a rock and a hard place,” He said that Council just received the legislation and the job description and the ordinance which coupled a brand-new position with another position. “I’m happy to give the Mayor the opportunity to go and restructure the Building Department as he sees fit. To me, all we did is approve a job description. The Mayor has to come back to council to fund the position,” stated Council President, Paul Marnecheck. “Ultimately, if Council doesn’t like the plan, we have the ability to repeal the legislation we just passed.”
At the time of this writing, Antoskiewicz did not have the exact salary range for the position, which is expected to be based upon experience. He said that the legislation that would fund the position is expected to be introduced at the next City Council meeting.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer