Walton County Planning Department - help wanted

[SoWalSally]

Another planner resigns from Walton County - Tom Blackshear is the fifth planner to leave Walton County since November.
BY PASHA CARROLL SUN REPORTER

Tom Blackshear, Walton County?s Senior Planner for long range planning, resigned March 14.
Blackshear took a job with the Science Applications International Corporation. His new office will be at the Shalimar branch.
The new job will be working with defense contracts and closely with the Eglin Encroachment Office, Blackshear said.
Blackshear?s last official day will be April 4. He worked for Walton County for approximately seven years.
"It was a difficult decision," Blackshear said. "I consider what I am doing now (in the county) a higher calling."
"I love the county. I love the people," he said. "That?s what makes decisions like this so hard."
He said the reason why multiple people have left the Walton County Planning Department is because "there is a heck of a lot of work out there."
Another big part of it is "the burn out factor," Blackshear said.
The Planning Department is funded for 22 positions and only about 11, including administration, are filled, Planning Manager Kelly Finney said.
Planning Director Mike Lane, Senior Planner Latilda Henninger, Planning Coordinator Jennifer Christensen and Planning Technician Mary Margaret Stallings have left the department since November.
The county has hired a new person, slated to start April 1, and others are in the interview process. Finney said advertisements for the positions have been posted nationally.
Currently there are two plan reviewers. There should be five, Finney said.
When asked if there is a concern about losing more people, Finney said "there is always a threat that the private sector is going to take planners."
Finney said Blackshear would be missed at the department.
"He is just a good person," she said.

 

[SoWalSally]

From 2/5/05

Walton County Board of Commissioners put a cap on how many new developments will be reviewed for at least the next month.
Commissioners limited new projects to be reviewed to six per month, per reviewer in the Planning Department.
Currently there are only three reviewers on staff. Last month, there were more than 50 new minor and major developments to be reviewed, Kelly Finney, planning manager said.
In addition to reviewing new development plans, reviewers are also busy doing re-reviews, taking calls and walk-ins and on field calls, Finney said.
The Planning Department?s excessive workload is due, in part, to being understaffed.
Recently Planning Director Mike Lane, senior planner Latilda Henninger, planning coordinator Jennifer Christensen and Planning Technician Mary Margaret Stallings left the department.
"Having them leave is part of this as well," County Commissioner Cindy Meadows said.
The Planning Depart- ment would have had four reviewers after bringing in a new reviewer April 1, but reviewer Mary Margaret resigned from the department on Feb. 22.
"A lot of it is the workload, there is a tremendous amount of pressure and stress," Finney said about staff leaving. "It?s a real challenge."
"Reviewers are working nights and weekends," Meadows said.
"We don?t want to burn everybody out that works for the county on these things," she said.
The Planning Department?s workload also got heavier when the State of Florida Department of Community Affair?s returned their recommendations for changes commissioners recently proposed to Walton County?s Comprehensive Plan.
"It?s the reason I voted against DCA transmittal," Meadows said. "We knew we didn?t have the proper data analysis."
"It?s something we should have foreseen. Now we have to double up (on workloads)," Meadows said.
Walton County has 60 days from when the document was returned to the county, which was Feb. 8, to resubmit changes. County officials and the Planning Department will meet with DCA to clarify the state?s expectations.
Meanwhile, the process each new development goes through will remain extensive.
"One plan is a lot of work," Finney said.
Finney said there is a checklist the Planning Department reviewers use to ensure, even with the heftiest workload, all development plans are scrutinized.
For now, new development applications will be taken on a first come first serve basis.
"We are still issuing development permits everyday," she said.
"We recognize the fact that time is money (for developers) and their livelihood is contingent on what we produce," Finney said.
More staff would help the Planning Department tremendously, but positions there are hard to fill, Finney said.
"If you don?t have any candidates you can?t increase the staff," she said.
The Planning Department is going to work with the county human resources department to recruit more reviewers.

 

[Cil]

Thank you for sharing this, SoWalSally.

 

[SoWalSally]

You're welcome.

 

[CiaoBella]

What is the current status on the county's staff levels? I was talking with a friend of mine in Cypress Dunes yesterday and he said the planning manager had just left. Does anybody know what's going on?

 

[Kurt]

I don't know who's on staff now but the new director is Pat Blackshear, who was previously with neighboring Okaloosa County.

 

[jimmie_2005]

Sally seems to know what is going on but just wondering does anyone know if the old planning manager, Finney still works for the county?

 

[Smiling JOe]

Sally seems to know what is going on but just wondering does anyone know if the old planning manager, Finney still works for the county?

If you are referring to Kelly, yes, she is still there.

 

[CiaoBella]

Mrs. Blackshear sounds super qualified and has a great attitude. Do you guys think she can work a miracle and put the planning department on the straight & narrow?

 

[bsmart]

I just graduated from the University of Georgia in May with a B.A. in Political Science with a distinction in environmental law and policy and urban planning. Can anyone direct me to the human resources website for Walton County. I have been trying to find some planning work, something to get my feet wet with before I go off to law school in the fall of 2006, at Emory University.

Thanks,
Brian.