Fiscal Year 2013 Recommended Budget Book - Lake County

Growth ManagementMission Statement:To ensure the implementation of policies adopted by the Board of County Commissioners while making available excellencein customer service; supporting economic development and tourism promotion efforts; preserving the character of ourexisting communities and unique rural landscapes; guiding future growth and development through effective planning,zoning, data analysis, permitting and enforcement; preserving resources for future generations; and addressing the needs andconcerns of our citizens while ensuring their quality of life.Program Descriptions:• Administration is responsible for the oversight of the Department and all its programs, functions and advisory boardsincluding the Enterprise Zone Development Agency and the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee. Administrationworks with County management to ensure compliance with all County policies and procedures and is responsible forspecial projects including advanced education (such as Green Symposiums and support for Economic Development) andthe Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.• The Planning and Community Design Division is responsible for the review ofall residential, commercial, industrial, public facility and residential sitedevelopment within unincorporated Lake County. The Division ensurescompliance with the Lake County Land Development Regulations andComprehensive Plan and assists businesses through the development process. Theother major function of the Division is the review of application requests to changeor alter zoning or future land use categories for specific properties for complianceand consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. Recommendations on theapplications are made to the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency and the Board of CountyCommissioners for their consideration. Planning and Community Design is also responsible for maintaining the internalconsistency of the Land Development Regulations and consistency of those regulations with the goals, objectives andpolicies of the Comprehensive Plan.• The Building Services Division is responsible for building construction plan review, permitting and inspection inunincorporated Lake County and the Town of Montverde to ensure compliance with the Florida Building Code and toprotect the public safety. It also enforces applicable County land developmentregulations. Another major function of the Building Services Division is contractorlicensing and un-licensed contractor activity. Lake County currently licenses mostall trades of construction. Local city jurisdictions look to the County BuildingDivision to verify licensing requirements have been met prior to issuingpermits. Building Services acts on complaints of unlicensed contractor activity inthe unincorporated Lake County and within the city limits through inter-localagreements.Department Goals and Objectives:Lake County is a High Performance Organization:• The Growth Management Department is examining processes to make them more customer-friendly. Staff has beenstudying other county systems to learn more efficient and effective means of processing development applications.Expansion of innovative technology has allowed additional online permitting capabilities, streamlined review andpermitting processes, paperless processing, and faster distribution of application packages to reviewers. The Departmentis working with Information Technology (IT) to move towards completely digital permit and application processing.Instructional guides are being created for obtaining permits in all categories.• Online zoning permits and conformance letters continue to streamline processes. Customers will soon be able to tracktheir projects online, read messages about their project status and estimated time to complete the project. Expansion ofF - 69