MOU Modernization

Building and Zoning Services is modernizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governing the Engineering Plans Review Section/One Stop Shop (OSS). The current MOU, while foundational, was built to address co-location and basic coordination. It does not reflect the full scope of review activity that affects development timelines, nor does it provide the measurement framework needed to manage performance and accountability.

This document outlines where the City currently stands, what gaps have been identified, and what the updated MOU is designed to accomplish. It serves as a reference document for stakeholders participating in the modernization process.

2.1 What the Current MOU Does

The existing MOU was created to establish the operational framework for the OSS. Its primary focus is organizational structure and daily operations between the original three participating departments (Building and Zoning Services, Public Service, and Public Utilities/Water and Power).

Current MOU objectives include:

• Co-locating in one section (OSS)
• Improving coordination between Departments
• Defining staffing commitments and review authority
• Establishing escalation procedures for complex approvals

2.2 What the Current MOU Measures

Current performance measurement is largely limited to core engineering review activities:

2.3 Gaps and Challenges

Stakeholder feedback and internal review have surfaced the following systemic issues with the current framework:

• Many review types that affect timelines are not tracked at all
• No visibility into whether delays are caused by Staff or by applicants
• Signature routing and electronic approval delays are unmonitored
• New comments can appear late in the review process without accountability
• Inconsistent comments between review cycles create applicant confusion
• No tracking on submission quality
• The full project timeline — from initial submission to final approval — is not measured
• Lack of interdepartmental coordination on comments

The updated MOU is structured around three core improvements: introducing a structured measurement framework that expands the scope of what is tracked, adding new performance metrics, and committing to process improvements that support better outcomes.

3.1 The Three-Buckets Measurement Framework

Performance measurements will be organized into three distinct buckets, each with its own reporting cadence and accountability structure.