Where Did All The Time Go?
by Kerwin Jensen
I still remember the very first time that I presented a staff report to the City Council at a public hearing. I was fresh out of college, I think I still might’ve had a teenager drawl, and I was as nervous as could be. My opportunity to shine (or completely flop) was not taking place in some Podunk small town, but rather the largest city in the state. I was presenting information to eleven members of the City Council and there were dozens of citizens in the audience.
It seems that land use public hearings tend to always have the potential of generating controversy. My job title of Zoning Coordinator required presenting staff reports at public hearings relative to controversial land use applications—these became a routine part of my first job right out of college.
So, in preparation for my very first night in front of the City Council, I made sure that I knew all my facts. I made sure I had the correct overhead transparencies and that the overhead projector was working properly. (For those who are younger in the profession, in the “old” days there were no slick PowerPoint presentations like we have today.) I had rehearsed my verbal comments multiple times and I felt that I was ready to go.
I suppose that I was about midway through my rather short presentation when I literally stopped to take a breath and gather my next thought before continuing on with the rest of my presentation when all of a sudden Mayor Van Arsdale said, “Thank you very much for that presentation, Mr. Jensen.” I hesitated for a brief moment and thought to myself, “but I’m not finished with my presentation”. But wisdom prevailed and I realized that I apparently was finished and I took Mayor Van Arsdale’s comment as my cue that it was time for me to sit down.
It has been a long time since that incident took place, but I remember it vividly. Fast forward to today and I have now worked for four different jurisdictions in four different Western states. I have had the opportunity to reflect and I would like to provide just a few examples of what I have learned over the past 33 years working for local government and some of the changes that I have seen take place during this time.
The best PUD (Planned Unit Development) is the fully developed/occupied PUD
I realize that there must be some very good PUD’s out there and even larger planned communities where a developer comes in and makes his/her pitch to the local City Council, convinces surrounding property owners of their project and then builds the development from start to finish without any delays, major amendments, land ownership changes, or other snafus. As promising as this sounds, I have never had the pleasure of being involved with such a PUD. My experience over the years has been working with PUD’s that are difficult to administer and interpret, working with a development team that is not the original development team, and processing all sorts of amendments due to changes in market conditions. Perhaps in a few years from now I will just need to find me a nice, fully developed PUD and enjoy retirement.
Virtual Meetings & Remote Employment
I would have never thought during the course of my career that I would see virtual City Council and Planning Commission meetings. In fact, I have worked with city attorneys in the past that never allowed board members to “attend” meetings via telephone or video conferencing. If someone couldn’t attend in person, then they were just absent from that meeting. Since COVID has changed all of this for us, I have participated in City Council meetings where decision-makers have been as far away as Mexico and the business of the city has continued to roll forward. At the same time, I had a hard time accepting the notion of physically closing the doors of city hall and employees working from home, especially staff members who engage with the public frequently; however, I have learned just how well this has worked. For example, I have received a number of comments from local developers stating how well our remote pre-application meetings are working. This approach to land use and local government has now become second nature to us.
Internet
The Internet changed everything. Just like the antiquated overhead transparencies I used early in my career, research work was done a lot differently years ago. Many a trip I would take to the city library downstairs during the early years of my career to find information that I needed in order to complete my staff reports or gather information for other projects I was working on. Today we can look up anything we want to from the comfort of our office chair.
Email is quick, easy, useful, and effective. But what it is not, in my opinion, is personable. The old-fashioned part of me enjoys working and speaking with people face to face; not over the phone, not in an email, but live and in person. Several years ago, I hired a new employee fresh out of college. This individual was the same age as my own children. Their office was located right next to my office; I mean our doors were right next to each other. Every bit of communication that was sent to me from this individual was via email. In a fun and joking way I finally said, “Just come talk to me. I’m right next door.” As much as I prefer and enjoy working alongside other co-workers, COVID has kind of messed that one up for us.
It certainly will be interesting what the next 33 years in local government and the land use planning profession will bring. What will our communities look like and what type of work environment will our daily activities take place in? For those who are young in the profession, time moves so quickly. Enjoy your career for all that it is worth. As I enter what I am sure will be my last few years working in local government, I can honestly say that I have learned so much and I have been fortunate to have such a rewarding career.
About the Author
Kerwin Jensen currently serves as the Director of Community and Development Services for the City of Richland, Washington and has served in that capacity for six years. Kerwin has worked for local governments for 33 years throughout the West, including the states of Montana, Colorado, Utah, and now Washington.