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Shared Planner Program

Shared Planner Best Practices 
 
Significant opportunities exist for municipalities to provide more efficient and effective customer service and professionalism through the creation of a shared planner position. The smaller, more rural towns, often do not have any planner position and are often communities that could most benefit from the added assistance and coordination. 

We argue that the vast array of potential benefits from establishing a part-time or full-time town planner significantly justifies the investment. These include, but are not limited to:

•   Provides guidance to homeowners and others through the local permitting process.

•   Provide the necessary “follow through” to achieve implementation of larger, broader, and more community based planning efforts such as pursuing economic development opportunities, and, create and/or update master plans.

•   Coordinates and engages in important economic development initiatives, and assists with other municipal regulations and processes across other departments.

•   Assist with public outreach, website maintenance, and, can make the permitting and planning process more accessible to residents; something that is becoming normal and expected.

•   Provide a wide range of opportunities to explore future bylaw amendments, and to aid a permitting board to ensure the permitting process is clear, consistent, and predictable. 

•   Provide coordination and sharing of information amongst town officials and developers to increase efficiency amongst departments and to make the permitting process clearer and predictable.

 
Some of the indirect benefits of creating and maintaining a town planner position include:
 

•   The ability for the town to increase economic development activity. This can occur when a town planner assists in the streamlining of the permitting processes to encourage new business growth.

•   The ability for the town to reduce costs associated with land use related lawsuits. In some cases, volunteer board members face difficult decisions with little professional support during a hearing process. Timely research, professional knowledge of the state zoning act, and consultation between applicant’s and the Board can all contribute to achieving consensus rather than legal challenges.

•   The ability for the town to incorporate the town planner into the work of other important boards and committees; such as Board of Selectman, Economic Development Committees, or Conservation Commissions. Ensuring that other boards and committees are linked enough to share information or coordinate multi-jurisdictional projects is an essential step in advancing broader town goals.

 

For a printable PDF version of the Shared Planner Report, please click here.