2018 City of Shakopee Budget

69

Budget Impact: An important responsibility of the Planning Division is to set the stage for the future development of the community. Envision Shakopee is a year-long process using the community’s input through online surveys, workshops and community gatherings to set the city’s priorities for 2040. This includes evaluating transportation networks and future infrastructure requirements. The Envision Shakopee Comprehensive Plan should be completed by June 2018 and submitted to the Metropolitan Council by December 2018. The City of Shakopee is projected to grow to more than 56,000 residents by 2040, with much of that growth occurring in the Jackson Township area. In 2017, the city adopted an orderly annexation agreement with the township that allows 250 acres each year to be annexed by the city and additional land at the property owner’s request. The township has been divided up into six areas to allow for delivery of city services in a timely fashion. The Planning Division also acts as the case managers for major development projects, providing a single point of contact for major subdivisions and developments. This allows one person to stay with the project from conception until final certificate of occupancy. The planners answer hundreds of questions each week on everything from setbacks to zoning, from residents, realtors, lenders and builders. In 2018, we will be adding another planner to help answer common planning and zoning questions and to expedite smaller building permits for decks, additions and single-family homes. This should reduce turnaround times and allow our senior planners to work on updating various parts of the land development code to make it easier to understand, including the portions related to signs and landscaping. We will also be going entirely paperless in 2018. All planning applications can be submitted online, including plats, variances and concept plans. This will decrease processing times from 45 to 30 days, improving our overall customer service.

EMPLOYEES

PERCENT OF GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES

5.65

5.4

5

Planning & Development 3.2%

4.4

Actual 2015 Actual 2016 Budget 2017 Budget 2018

Number of Employees (FTEs)