The rapidly increasing population and land use is one of the significant yet phenomenal challenges in today’s public administration. Accompanied by the spatial utilization and maintenance is the urban planning and management as one of the functionalities of city administrators in dealing with the simultaneous increase of land use, wherein various types of uses demands a particular place within the city limits. Relevantly, the expansive modality of business districts or areas must be complemented with a system or process as a procedure in obtaining of permits to operate a business is necessary and required.
Thus, the system or process is needed to ensure the systematic flow of urban zoning. In this regard, the city administration must work on how permit processing would respond to the aspectual needs of the population without hampering the sustainable community development. Dealing with urban-community issues tackles various considerations in the processing of business permits, such as organizational functions of city administration must be streamlined through conduct of dialogues and campaigns in the implementation processes. This procedure is one of the components in public administration where urban-community issues must be resolved.
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In Mercer Island, the city manager have studied the situation in permit processing and found the significant action of implementing the system or process that is meeting both administrative functions of the local government City Growth Manager">city government and the demands of the residents. The implementing programs of permit processing in Mercer Island could have found the breakthrough of a procedure in public administration. This paper will account the discussion of multifaceted issues that significantly drawn the decisiveness of city managers in administering Mercer Island’s public administration programs.
Methodology The result of the case study, entitled: ‘Permit Processing on Mercer Island’, conducted by Judith Noble as her Master’s Degree thesis at the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington and published by The Electronic Hallway in 1996 will be the derivative of the literature review, taking into account the issues, actors and organizational forces that have been depicted in the public administration of Mercer Island. Likewise, additional literatures will revalidate the presentation or exhibition of data reflective of the conducted case study.
Literature Review City overview: history and township Mercer Island was named after the Mercer Brothers who explored the place while on food gathering and subsequently first established a non-native settlement at the north-west side of the island in 1870s. The settlement has thoroughly expanded to the north-east side of the island and known as the East Seattle where became famous of the Calkins Hotel as a landmark of commercial land use in 1889 (Mercer Island Historical Society, 2006).
In 1908, the East Seattle have grown with residential and business population, wherein the urbanization was largely developed from 1930s towards 1940s when a floating bridge was built that reached towards its state of Washington as the nearby area of commerce (City Government of Mercer Island, 2008) Presently, Mercer Island is a highly urbanized city being established from the 1960 incorporation and 1970 merging of north-western and eastern municipalities that has been fully developed as a business district of Seattle with 23, 894 population (US Census Bureau, 2007).
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Brief background of the issues As manifested by the continuously growing population and developing commercial zones, the city administration of Mercer Island has employed its ways and means in the processing of business permits. In 1996, the Mercer Island’s City Manager Paul Lanspery was persevered to act on the result of a report that has been commissioned and studied the status of community development. As cited, the tremendous increase of land use has been attributed to the establishment of businesses, in which even residential areas diversify into commercial use.
The situation could become a perennial problem to the majority of the residents as well as the natural environment may soon marginalize and disintegrate by the potential pollution (Noble, 1996).
On the other hand, Lanspery was worried of the “systems thinking” of the city administration, wherein the processing of business permit application must be reviewed in order to assess the public administration and accountability of the city government and its employees, as there were “pressure groups” from the residents that advocates the call in preserving the city from further commercial development.
The personal, organizational and external forces Reflecting on the report on community development and through the conducted on-site observation, Lanspery was motivated by his personal beliefs on “continuous improvement” (Noble, 1996).
It may be interpreted that Lanspery’s personal belief could be an “internal motivating force”; reclaiming “continuous improvement” of Mercer Island is achieving sustainable development in the community. Based on the conducted on-site survey, Lanspery has brought the organizational accountability of the city government to objectively see and find the perspective of Mercer Island amidst its commercial diversification.
The land use of the residents must be coupled with responsibilities in nurturing and protecting the environment. Hence, the city government must actualize the administration of public interest to preserve the natural habitation of the island without hampering the on-going business activities of the city. It may be summarized that Lanspery’s personal belief of continuous improvement retains the organizational accountability of the city government as the external force in implementing sustainable means, instead of sustaining an intensive “environmental change” that in fact deface the natural beauty of Mercer Island.
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To cite, preserving Mercer Island culture and natural environment is a challenge to its city government in improving sustainable business operation and administering of its investors in a participatory process, adhering efficiency, quality and commitment (Noble, 1996).
The environment and public administration According to the case study, the topography of Mercer Island is not suitable for high-rise buildings and definitely limited to horizontal construction. On the other hand, the windy atmosphere of the Island is susceptible to fire-igniting materials, like the fire tragedy in 1889 that burned-flat the fire-prone Calkins Hotel.
The topography of Mercer Island has been critically considered in the implementing guidelines of the city government, as a response to mitigate environmental risks and preservation of the environment from potential threats of commercial abuse. The public administration has organized a team of diverse technical expertise that composes the building department personnel who will evaluate the application of permits for residential and business or commercial land use.
To cite, the government has likewise regulated a countless permit application for construction of small structure and land use projects, taking into account an estimated of 70 percent from the total 1,300 permits being issued yearly (Noble, 1996).
The public administration in the issuance of permits was consistent in the implementation of environmental protection programs and risk mitigating measures, such as to cite the intensive evaluation and qualification procedures on application of mechanical permits for installing furnace pipes, plumbing, hot tub and lawn sprinkler systems, electrical wiring, and even burglar security and fire alarms.
Part of the revenue collection campaigns were also managed by the city government on penalties and fines from illegal permit fixers, violators of health and safety guidelines, and other proceeds from residential construction permits acquisition (Noble, 1996).
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Nature of policy system and processes of policy and decision making It may be reflected that the decentralization of local government units or city governments have been enacted as part of streamlining the Federal bureaucracy system, devolving the powers of the local government executives in executing the municipal or city programs and projects.
In which case, the city government of Mercer Island is spearheaded by the executive function of the Mayor, the legislative power of the city council and the city manager who is mandated to act in administering the township development. The enactment of land use policies were outlined in the “check and balance” configuration of area implementation. Specifically, the city manager headed the tangible implementing procedure of the Department of community Development that enjoined the technical maintenance, engineering and the public safety programs.
Part of a functional public administration and transparent decision making process is the conduct of public dialogues that has been initiated by the City Council, expediting the legislative process and synergy among the council membership. To cite, the legislative function of the city council reaches out the public concern in terms of interpreting the city codes and ordinances.
The city council has even organized citizen boards and commissions to enable a transparent and community-participatory undertaking of relevant issues on land use and the city government’s public administration functions, like the creation and establishment of the Building Board of Appeals that act as a quasi-judicial body, examining and interpreting the technical description, meaning and implementation of the “building code” as the ethical parameter in the land use policies.
Leadership, management and administrative ethics It may be found that what has been highlighted in the case study is the decisiveness of Paul Lanspery, being the city manager, who persevered the undertaking of necessary public administration processes and fully utilizing the organizational elements of the city government. The overall representation of the case study [according to the literature review] has also found Lanspery’s ideals, having the personal beliefs of continuous improvement of Mercer Island.
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The personal beliefs could be perceived to have influenced the systems thinking, character-values and governance. Lanspery’s position as part of the “politico-persona” in the executive function of the City Mayor’s Office, wherein city management emanated its mandate or functions, has contributed to “streamline the system”. Based on the case study, it may be recalled that organizational dysfunction has threatened to be a problem of the City Council in implementing the ordinances or enforcement of the building code and policies on land use.
As cited, such problems pertain to be the (1) deficiency in coordinating with departments which the city government has established non-substantive change, (2) failure in completing inspections and its technical evaluation results, (3) discrepancy in applying the technical standards of the building code and engineering guidelines (Noble, 1996).
To cite and quote Mercer Island’s City Councilor Fred Jarrett, “reliability and consistency in dealing with the processing of permits is required for changing a cedar roof to tile for one home but not for another” (Noble, 1996).
Meaning, making reliable and consistent the “way of leadership” may require the need of change in the system and processes on how the permit application would be more beneficial and contributory to a decisive public accountability and administration, specifically on sustaining the judicious utilization of the landholdings in Mercer Island.
Post activities and findings The assumption to office of Paul Lanspery as Mercer Island’s City Manager has significantly shown with substantial change in the functions of various departments directly involve in the processing of business and residential permits, land use, public safety and order and the city’s environmental maintenance programs. As a city manager, Lanspery has implemented the organizational system on reporting, evaluation procedures, ethical standards, quality values, effectiveness and efficiency.
The implementation of service-value-oriented ethics was the first and foremost organizational procedure employed by Lanspery. The action-oriented response through holding of regular meetings among the personnel of each department was aimed to improving and developing the responsible and accountable execution of task of every working personnel, in which adherent to creating good governance that shall harmonize the public administration.
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Lanspery has also introduced the “strategic component” of leadership accountability, wherein department managers were directed to participate in “visioning exercises” that would visualize the sustainable needs of the community and specifically to preserve the socio-economic life of Mercer Island from threatening effects of commercial land use. A synergy of public administration has been conceptualized to harmonize the fiscal management of every department.
Strategic budget planning, monitoring and auditing system were also established to enable the efficient performance of the city government in its revenue collection and budgeting, and financing of community projects that focuses on improving the socio-economic life of the community. Meanwhile, the judicious implementation of permit processing is complemented with social and judicial sanctions to ensure the importance of law enforcement in mitigating the unlawful land use, being deterrent to commercial abuse of Mercer Island’s economic resources and environment.
At this point in time, the case study has accounted the decisive managerial skill of Lanspery who enabled the “political will” of an area manager that prevented the vulnerable exploits of Mercer Island. Through that decisive and dedicated public administration has streamlined the organizational set-up of Mercer Island’s Department of Community Development (DCD), manifesting a more accountable city government. Conclusion Public administration could be the ethical standard in managing public accountability.
The processes and ethics in public administration is a continuing challenge in the dispensation of the local government units and its local executives. Indeed, the political will of the local executive is necessary to supplant the weaknesses and flaws with transparent and good governance. Like Lanspery who have visualized the needs of Mercer Island has not submitted to the disguise of commercial development but reclaims the vision for sustainability.
In Lanspery’s oath of office has transpired the vision, mission and goal of the city government as an organization that sustains the socio-economic life of Mercer Island. The collection of revenue from permit processing application, approval and issuances could have been substantial to the coffer of the city government yet vulnerable to irregularities and corruption.
The case study on Mercer Island’s city management depicts the broad understanding of ethics in public administration, enabling effective implementation of key policy programs that accounts the majority interest of the population and its environment. It may be then concluded that public accountability must manifest an unwavering leadership in local governance, whereas devolution of power from the national government must promote the local participation of people towards sustainable development of communities.
