“It wasn’t that long ago that our permitting department was the most maligned of our agencies, with good people struggling with old ways of doing business,” Constantine said in a statement. “I gave John a mandate to reform the agency, and since then he has instituted reforms that have increased efficiency, reduced fees and shortened the time to process permits.”

The award was presented April 5 at the 53rd annual Civic Awards Celebration Dinner at Herban Feast in the SODO area of Seattle.

John Starbard

Starbard fulfilled one executive priority early in his tenure by moving to a fixed rate for each type of permit, instead of billing customers by the hours it took to process a permit — providing customers with predictable costs and, in most cases, reduced fees. A new pre-screening service helps customers ensure their application is complete before submission, which saves processing time.

Starbard enlisted staff to create a new over-the-counter service that now takes two hours instead of the two months it took previously. He also led reductions in the amount of time it takes to issue a permit for custom single-family homes — from 64 days last year down to about 38 days this year, and he says staff members feel they can do even better.

“We have repeatedly asked the staff of DDES to move mountains in a short period of time,” Starbard said. “They have demonstrated to themselves — in numerous refinements that are often their own design — how our department can provide better and valued services to our customers.”

Starbard said his department will soon deploy new software to enable online permit applications with a robust tracking function. The software will have the capacity for paperless permitting, with information able to be shared instantly between departments, and between the field and DDES staff. Some customers will be able to complete the process without leaving their homes.

He is also improving customer service by moving the main office of DDES to the city of Snoqualmie, to bring services closer to the center of the agency’s customer base. At the heart of the new office will be a Customer Assistance Center to provide all of the agency’s drop-in services at one counter. The move also saves about $1 million a year in rent.

Starbard was appointed DDES director in March 2010.

Newcastle City Council members fired Starbard in January 2010. The council attributed the decision to tense relationships between him, elected officials and city residents.

He previously served as city manager for Maple Valley, then Newcastle. He began his career with the city of Bellevue, rising from the planning department to the office of the city manager. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puget Sound and a master’s degree from the University of Washington.

King County Executive Dow Constantine praised former Newcastle city manager and director of the Department of Development and Environmental Services, John Starbard, for being named Public Employee of the Year by the Municipal League of King County.

“It wasn’t that long ago that our permitting department was the most maligned of our agencies, with good people struggling with old ways of doing business,” Constantine said in a statement. “I gave John a mandate to reform the agency, and since then he has instituted reforms that have increased efficiency, reduced fees and shortened the time to process permits.”

The award was presented April 5 at the 53^rd Annual Civic Awards Celebration Dinner at Herban Feast in the SODO area of Seattle. Newcastle City Council members fired Starbard in January 2010. The council attributed the decision to tense relationships between Starbard, elected officials and city residents.

Starbard fulfilled one executive priority early in his tenure by moving to a fixed rate for each type of permit, instead of billing customers by the hours it took to process a permit – providing customers with predictable costs and, in most cases, reduced fees. A new pre-screening service helps customers ensure their application is complete before submission, which saves processing time.

Starbard enlisted staff to create a new over-the-counter service that now takes two hours instead of the two months it took previously.

Starbard also led reductions in the amount of time it takes to issue a permit for custom single-family homes – from 64 days last year down to about 38 days this year, and he says staff feels they can do even better than that.

“We have repeatedly asked the staff of DDES to move mountains in a short period of time,” Starbard said. “They have demonstrated to themselves — in numerous refinements that are often their own design — how our department can provide better and valued services to our customers.”

Starbard said his department will soon deploy new software to enable online permit applications with a robust tracking function. The software will have the capacity for paperless permitting, with information able to shared instantly between departments, and between the field and DDES staff. Some customers will be able to complete the process without leaving their homes.

Starbard is also improving customer service by moving the main office of DDES to the city of Snoqualmie, to bring services closer to the center of the agency’s customer base. At the heart of the new office will be a Customer Assistance Center to provide all of the agency’s drop-in services at one counter. The move also saves about $1 million a year in rent.

Starbard was appointed DDES director in March of 2010.

He previously served as city manager for Maple Valley, then Newcastle. He began his career with the city of Bellevue, rising from the planning department to the office of the city manager. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puget Sound and a master’s degree from the University of Washington.

The Eastside Candidate Forum will offer an opportunity for the community to meet the regional candidates for the Washington offices of governor and attorney general.

The free event will be from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 22 in the St. Andrew’s Ballroom at The Golf Club at Newcastle.

Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee, candidates for governor, along with Reagan Dunn and Bob Ferguson, candidates for attorney general, will all speak at the forum.

“This year’s Eastside Candidate Forum will not be a debate, instead the candidates will each have 15 minutes to speak,” said John Jensen, event organizer. “We are always happy to host this event, the forum has a reputation for providing a civil and well-attended event.”

The program will include a 20-minute break to allow community members to meet the candidates.

The Municipal League of King County, The Golf Club at Newcastle and the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce jointly host the Eastside Candidate Forum.

The public is encouraged to RSVP for the free event at RSVP@NewcastleCC.com

The Eastside Candidate Forum schedule:

· 9 a.m. — Start event John Jensen; welcome from Newcastle Mayor John Dulcich

· 9:15 a.m. — Congressman Jay Inslee, Candidate for Governor

· 9:35 a.m. — King County Councilman Bob Ferguson, Candidate for Attorney General

· 9:50 a.m. — Break, 20 minutes

· 10:10 a.m. — Attorney General Rob McKenna, Candidate for Governor

· 10:30 a.m. — King County Councilman Reagan Dunn, Candidate for Attorney General