How many planners does the Islands Trust really need?

Planning Staff Research

A volunteer did a comprehensive study of Islands Trust planning staff ratios to nearby municipalities.

• Local Planning Services (LPS) is the biggest activity of Islands Trust, consuming the greatest amount of resources, $6.7 million (74%) of the $9.1 million budget for 2021-22.   Staffing/benefits and office space comprise 74% of the Trust Budget (and the tax levies to business and resident taxpayers).

• Of 63 permanent staff, mostly  located in Victoria, 33 are planning staff.

• The Trust currently has 1.08 planning staff per 1,000 residents; or 4 times the planning staff per capita of the average for the other municipalities in the above chart.

• Planning staff support the proposed Draft Policy Bylaw.

• Why are 33 Planning Staff required for the Trust Area and its population? For the current population, the average number of planning staff per capita suggests the Trust Area needs about 9-10 staff — not 33.

• Are all the planning staff activities essential to the core mandate? How are staff performance and effectiveness of studies and programs measured?