The City of Santa Monica desires to ensure that all persons
having need of City services have equal access to and benefit from
those services. Priority status for City services cannot be conferred
upon any group or individual unless authority for such priority is
first established by resolution of the City Council as prescribed
herein.
(Added by Ord. No. 2208CCS §
1, adopted 10/3/06)
The City shall by resolution of the City Council establish project
types that will receive priority in the City's provision of services
related to the processing, review and issuance of permits and licenses
for development activities.
(Added by Ord. No. 2208CCS §
1, adopted 10/3/06)
(a) Priority
service shall be provided for the complete range of development activities
and shall include, but not be limited to, any preliminary project
submittals, applications for planning discretionary approvals, building
permit applications, and issuance of building permits, construction
inspections, permits for work in the public way, final issuance of
a certificate of occupancy, and initial business license applications.
(b) The
provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to emergency response services
of any City department including, but not limited to, the Police,
Fire and Environmental and Public Works Management Departments.
(c) Nothing
in this Chapter shall prevent authorized employees of the City of
Santa Monica from making all necessary efforts to remedy service delays
caused by the City and through no fault of any person seeking service.
(Added by Ord. No. 2208CCS §
1, adopted 10/3/06)
Priority service for development activity shall constitute granting
the full range of necessary City services as soon as the next available
service opening occurs without regard for who is next in the service
queue, unless otherwise required by law. Priority service shall include,
but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Begin
formal staff review of complete applications for all related permits
or approvals by the next available City employee or agent as soon
as that person completes their current assignment;
(b) Set
hearing date for discretionary reviews at the earliest practical date
within thirty days of determining that an application is complete;
(c) Inspect
all completed and accessible construction at the required stages of
construction within one business day of permit holder's request;
(d) Review
any complete business license application related to initiating the
priority activity within one business day.
(Added by Ord. No. 2208CCS §
1, adopted 10/3/06)