It’s been ten years since the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC; now PDS) established its One Stop Shop Codes Administration Program. Much about the program has changed over that time period. PDS staff is pursuing an in-depth review of the program, its finances, the services it provides, and those being requested by member jurisdictions.
The goal is to assure that the program meets the needs of Kenton County’s 20 jurisdictions in the future as well as it has these first ten years.
“Initiating the One Stop Shop program was relatively easy,” recalls Dennis Gordon, FAICP, executive director at the time and now. “It was born out of one of those a-ha moments when people come together, agree on a goal and a course of action, and move ahead.”
Gordon says the “common sense” that led to the creation of the program also prompted a number of the changes through which it has come. He cites the number of jurisdictions served as a prime example of the change. ‘One Stop Shop’ as it’s commonly called today started out serving eight jurisdictions. The program serves 19 today with a number of services.
In 2005 the program provided zoning administration, zoning enforcement, property maintenance code enforcement, building code administration, and staff support to eight local boards of adjustment. Today the program provides those services plus staff support to a joint board of adjustment board serving seven jurisdictions.
There were no code enforcement boards in 2005, but today the program provides staff support to a joint code enforcement board serving 11 jurisdictions and four single-city boards. Nuisance codes are now part of the services provided along with permits and inspections for HVAC systems, a requirement handed down by the state.
Participating jurisdictions have requested consideration of additional services to be provided by PDS. That list includes a vacant foreclosed property registry and support for administering an urban vacant property tax. According to Gordon, funding will be the primary guide as to whether these services can be accommodated.
One Stop Shop started with a somewhat detailed funding plan in 2005. That plan called on applicants to pay a portion of the cost for the services they needed, participating jurisdictions to pay a percentage of the costs associated with providing the service, and NKAPC/PDS to cover the balance. The addition of services and communities served have made the original funding plan difficult and time consuming to administer. Gordon says staff is looking for a simpler way to account for costs.
“Because of the January 1st deadline imposed on several of the services we provide, we need to wrap up this review soon,” says Gordon. “A number of the changes we anticipate—particularly funding issues—won’t take effect until July 1, 2017 but we still need to get this information to those we serve as quickly as possible so they can make the decisions right for their citizens.”
For explanations of other services being provided currently as mentioned here, please read the first article is this newsletter, Staff works with local jurisdictions to bring about HB422 compliance.