Not pleased with how government spends its money or serves its customers, a group of business leaders has decided to analyze how City Hall operates.
Members of the governmental affairs committee, a group set up within the Chamber of Commerce that examines government issues, thinks City Hall charges residents too much for what they get.
The biggest disparity is in the planning department, where long waits for necessary permits and approvals are coupled with expensive filing and licensing fees, chamber officials say. The City Council this summer voted to raise business license and other fees in the planning department to help close City Hall’s multi-million deficit.
That’s why the committee agreed earlier this week to conduct an independent analysis of the planning department this fall to compare Santa Monica’s fee structure and wait times to comparable cities.
The goal is to be able to provide alternatives in the future to elected officials when they consider raising permit fees or sales taxes, said chamber executive director Kathy Dodson.
It’s no secret that City Hall is known for its bureaucratic system that often slows down the approval process for permit-seeking business owners. In fact, the planning commission earlier this summer asked that an internal audit be done on the planning department’s management.
“The extra hundreds of dollars per person that we spend in Santa Monica isn’t seen in greater services,” Dodson said. “Even without the money part of it, it’s impossible to get through the process. People go through the process and risk personal bankruptcy. What takes one month or two in other cities takes a year or more (here).
City Hall puts such a burden on businesses that small, independent merchants can’t afford to open their doors here, said Dodson, adding that corporations have their share of headaches, too. The only projects that seem to get fast-tracked are city projects, she said.
Syrna Glasser, who along with her husband, share the pain Dodson refers to. They have been trying for the last year to open Schmerty’s Gourmet Cookies at 2819 Ocean Park Blvd. Glasser said dealing with City Hall has been difficult.
“We’ve lost so much money,” she said, adding that she has struggled to make rent payments while her permits have been stalled in City Hall for more than a year. “They need to have a booklet called ‘Planning 101’ they can hand out that tells the basic person, step by step, what they need.”
“They need to have a booklet called ‘Planning 101’ they can hand out that tells the basic person, step by step, what they need.” — — SYRNA GLASSER Co-owner, Schmerty’s Gourmet Cookies
Dr. Mike Gruning, president of the chamber, said there is a glaring disparity in the amount of money City Hall charges Santa Monica citizens and the services they receive. He said there are 43 residents for each public employee in Santa Monica, while other cities have far fewer government employees.
“If you have funds you’re going to spend them,” Gruning said. “Politicians like to spend money. That’s what they do.”
“Politicians like to spend money. That’s what they do.” — — DR. MIKE GRUNING Chamber of commerce president
In addition to deciding to conduct the analysis, the committee discussed the spending and services of each department in City Hall.
Despite that City Hall spends more than $2 million each year on social services for the homeless, Santa Monica appears to have one of the highest populations of people living on the street, Dodson said.
And the City Attorney’s office appears to be another area where City Hall could save money, Gruning said.
He said City Hall uses a “proactive approach to litigation” and cited recent legislation like the defeated living wage law and a local ordinance that banned ATM fees, which was overturned in state and federal courts.
Dodson agrees on the legal fees.
“The expenses there are very high and that’s partly because we get sued a lot,” she said. “But it’s also because we make so many ordinances. They’re not tweaking the system — they’re re-writing it on a daily basis.”
Steve Stark, the city’s finance director, said he welcomes constructive criticism of City Hall’s spending and he’s looking forward to the chamber’s suggestions.
As for Glasser, she hopes she can start doing business in Santa Monica soon.
“If everything — knock on wood — goes smoothly, we’ll be open by the end of the month,” she said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 8, 2003. Read the original PDF.