Administration, Management, and Leadership

Staff Department

policy recommendations and analysis; more behind the scenes or longer range functions; recommendations to chief executive or elected/appointed officials; derive influence from expert authority or knowledge

Line Department

implementation, services directly related to the public such as subdivision reviews, code enforcement, fire, sanitation; directly advance an organization in its core work

Planning Department

department within local gov’s executive branch

Independent Planning Commission

appointed planning commissioners, staff solely responsible to the planning commission

Community Development Department

Planning, code enforcement, economic development, housing and other activities are grouped together in one department in local government executive branch

Planning Director

• specialized department

• forward-looking, guiding long range vision for growth and development

• technical expert

• makes recommendations

• reports to city manager/administrator

City Manager

• oversee entire local government enterprise

• focused on day to day operations and policy execution

• coordinates recommendations with other departments and broader operation and financial impacts

• reports to elected officials

Cross-Training

training staff in multiple planning roles to prevent operational bottlenecks

Professional Development

offering continuous education to keep the team updated on changing planning laws

Strategic Hiring

aligning new recruitment with long-term agency goals and community master plans

Workload Analysis

evaluating task distribution to ensure realistic deadlines and prevent employee burnout

Transformational Leadership

inspiring staff through a shared vision during large-scale community changes

Transactional Leadership

using structured rewards and clear hierarchies for day-to=day zoning approvals

Internal Mediation

resolving friction between technical staff (like GIS analysts) and public-facing planners

Collaborative Culture

fostering open communications to improve interdepartmental cooperation on complex projects

Phased Implementation

introducing new planning software or organizational shifts gradually to minimize disruption

change management

Stakeholder Buy-In

involving staff early in decision-making to reduce resistance to new agency workflows

Scalability

restructuring departments as a municipality expands

Vertical Structure (Hierarchical)

chain of command

top-down decision making

defined departments

Horizontal Structure (Flat)

cross-functional teams

collaboration

empowered employees

faster communication

Matrix Structure (Grid)

dual reporting

shared resources

project-based focus

Operating Budget

covers everyday, recurring expenditures for one fiscal year. personnel salaries, office supplies, utilities, routine maintenance

Capital Budget

covers large-scale, one-time physical purchases or long-term infrastrcture improvements. land acquisition, new public bldgs, water mains, etc.

Capital Improvements Program (CIP)

a multi-year forecast (5-7 yrs) that outlines a community’s capital needs. prioritizes projects

Line-Item Budget

most common method and allocates a fixed amount fo money for each specific subfunction (line) of a program

only looks one year ahead and is not linked to comprehensive or strategic long term plans

Performance-Based Budgeting

links funding directly to measurable outcomes, outputs, and key performance indicators (KPI) rather than historical expenditure

Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)

every department’s budget cycle begins at nil. planners must build their budgets from scratch and justify every expense

highly time consuming and requires rigorous analysis

Planning-Programming-Budgeting Systems (PPBS)

ties budgeting directly to accomplishing overarching goals and objectives

Staff Report Basics

objective and subjective components

based on data and analysis

provide a professional recommendation and build a legally defensible foundation

important resource to decision makers — technical, defensible, and readable

Strategic Planning

any short-term process designed to take advantage of strategic opportunities that results in a plan for concrete actions or programs

cost-effective, implementation-oriented planning approach

3-5 year timeframe

highly flexible, action oriented

7 step process

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

mandated by federal law for urbanized areas with populations over 50,000 to allocate federal transportation funds

Councils of Governments (COGs)

regional governing bodies that facilitate voluntary cooperation on watershed management, air quality, and regional housing needs

Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)

authority granted by some states allowing a municipality to exercise zoning or subdivision powers just outside its corporate boundaries to manage upcoming growth

Interlocal Agreements (ILAs)

formal contracts between neighboring jurisdictions to share services, infrastructure, or utilities

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

a statistical method used to analyze and estimate the time involved in completing a complex project

Critical Path Method (CPM)

analysis used to determine the longest sequence of dependent tasks and the shortest time possible to complete entire project

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

hierarchical division of projects into smaller, management tasks or deliverables