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11/03/2021 08:40 AMThe Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on Oct. 28 to separately re-advertise the town planner and zoning enforcement officer (ZEO) roles separately in an attempt to fill ongoing vacancies in the land use office.
The town has been looking for a new ZEO since Oct. 8 when Eric Knapp left to take a similar role in North Branford. Additionally, the town has been without a full-time planner for years.
The BOS unanimously passed a motion at a meeting on Oct. 28 to advertise both vacancies separately starting Nov. 1 as either part or full-time positions. Previously, the town had been advertising the position as one full-time position responsible for doing the duties of both roles, but First Selectman Noel Bishop said that strategy wasn’t working.
In fact, Bishop said during the meeting, “We’ve had no responses.”
When the town posted the job description of the vacant position after Knapp left, the duties of the role were quite lengthy. The posting said the hired person would serve under the direction of the Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Planning Commission chairs. They would be charged with planning, organizing, and working on areas that include land use, zoning, housings, and transportation. The posting also states that the position also “Oversees the operations of the Planning and Zoning departments including plan review, field inspections, and public and professional consultations.”
The position is also asked to work on flood zone compliance, coastal management, and the development of the Town Plan of Conservation and Development.
Some felt that that was too much to put on one person’s plate, so by splitting the roles—and the time commitment—there is a hope that a candidate may be willing to take on the position. The board acknowledged that there is a shortage statewide on people who are able to do the kind of planning work for which the town is looking.
Selectman John Hall asked about possibly going down the road of using consultants for the roles, which the board agreed could be on the table should the positions not be filled.