DATE: Thursday, July 10, 1997               TAG: 9707100001

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B8   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   41 lines

MERGED CITY DEPARTMENTS NEIGHBORHOODS IMPROVED

Citizens have long complained that city governments forced them to trek from department to department to obtain the simplest permits. It felt like the runaround.

In recent years, however, each South Hampton Roads city has been combining departments to gain efficiency and increase citizen convenience - two worthwhile goals.

For example, Suffolk is consolidating its zoning, building and housing inspections into what will be called the Department of Neighborhood Services. Citizens will get one-stop shopping. City employees can wear more hats and thus get more done.

The department mergers within South Hampton Roads cities are part of what staff writer Terri Williams recently called ``a regionwide emphasis on building cities from the neighborhoods up, rather than having communities rely on the trickled-down results of citywide projects.''

By combining inspectors formerly from different departments, said Steve Herbert, Suffolk assistant city manager, the city can tackle neighborhood problems in their entirety, rather than solve them individually, as though they were unrelated.

Three years ago, Virginia Beach consolidated its inspections departments - building, property and waste management - so all the inspectors could cooperate in improving neighborhoods and speed the permit process.

In January, Portsmouth merged its Department of Environmental Services and its planning department. In addition, police have been trained to cooperate with other city departments to clean up neighborhoods.

Over the past seven years, Chesapeake has combined a number of enforcement divisions, including housing, zoning, building, environment and wetlands.

In 1989 Norfolk merged its planning and codes-administration divisions.

For cities to improve, neighborhoods must improve. For neighborhoods to improve, citizens must be involved. For citizens to be involved, city hall must change from obstacle to partner and helper.

The department mergers are an important step in that direction.

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