Planning Assistant

Gallatin County; Bozeman (MT); On-site; USD 38,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Gallatin County in Bozeman, MT, seeks a Planning Department administrative assistant to perform essential clerical and program support for planning, zoning, subdivision, floodplain management, open lands, and code compliance programs.

You will assist staff, provide public information, manage front desk operations, and help with data entry, reporting, and purchasing as part of a collaborative team. A relevant associate degree and 1–2 years in a planning office are preferred.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree and 1–2 years of work experience in a planning office or closely related field.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Knowledge of clerical and administrative support methods and office software.
• Capacity to multi-task and learn new information quickly.

Responsibilities

• Monitor procedures for processing subdivision, land use and zoning documents according to State regulations.
• Prepare legal notices and notify stakeholders of deadlines, hearings and meetings.
• Schedule and track hearings for planning-related boards.
• Assist staff with on-site inspections by verifying information.
• Work with legal land descriptions and maps to identify zoned parcels.
• Provide information on regulations and disseminate forms to the public.
• Assist in data compilation, research, data formatting, correspondence, and related projects.
• Perform administrative and clerical support, front desk operations, answer phones, collect fees, and track documents.
• Ensure data entry completeness and tracking of closed files.
• Receive and deposit money at the front desk and track fees across programs.
• Monitor fund accounts and provide balance information.
• May serve as Notary for the Planning Office.
• Inventory control and purchasing of supplies and equipment.
• Process purchase orders, track expenditures, and pay bills.
• Schedule conferences and travel arrangements for staff and Planning Board members.
• Coordinate with other Planning Assistants and County staff to complete tasks.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Multi-tasking

Customer service

Data entry

Education

Associate’s degree

Tools

Office software

Notary (optional)

Job description

This position is located in the Department of Planning & Community Development (Planning Department) and is responsible for performing a variety of administrative and program support duties for County planning, zoning, subdivision review, floodplain management, community development, open lands, and code compliance programs.

The position assists Planning staff with various functions, provides program information and technical assistance to the public, and oversees other office support services. The position reports to the Chief Planning Officer and this position does not supervise other County personnel.

• Monitors procedures for processing subdivision, land use and zoning documents according to State regulations. Ensures that statutory guidelines and timeframes are communicated to others (e.g., the public) accurately and in a timely manner.
• Prepares legal notices and takes other appropriate actions to notify professional staff, landowners, special interest groups, and other individuals and entities of upcoming deadlines, hearings, meetings, and other critical steps in the planning review process.
• Schedules and tracks hearings for several planning-related boards (i.e., citizen advisory committees, boards of adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission, Planning Board, etc.). Faxes hearing notices to newspapers and completes other mailings as required.
• Assists professional staff in preparing for on-site inspections and reviews by verifying accuracy and completeness of applicant-provided information. This assistance is focused on relatively simple to moderately complicated subdivision and zoning applications.
• Works with legal land descriptions and maps to identify how/if specific parcels are zoned. Probes landowners to obtain sufficient data to determine if a permit is required based on regulations. Directs parties to other state or county agencies if necessary.
• Provides information regarding specific regulations and requirements and disseminates application forms and other relevant informational literature to the public.
• Assists professional staff in general by providing support in data compilation, research, data formatting, correspondence, and related projects.
• Performs administrative and clerical support office operations for the Planning Department. Monitors front desk workflow and customer service. Assists in providing overall administrative support to ensure customers are assisted, phones are answered, fees are collected, and documents are received, checked, and tracked.
• Ensures completeness of data entry into database when application files are closed by planners.
• Receives, tracks, and deposits money collected at the front desk for the Department. Ensures accurate tracking, receipting, and accounting of fees for multiple programs (e.g., applications, permits, road impact, fire impact, parkland, maps, etc.).
• Monitors fund accounts and compiles balance information for appropriate parties as needed.
• May serve as a Notary for the Planning Office.
• Performs inventory control by tracking purchases, supplies, equipment, and other physical resources. Orders office supplies and equipment as needed.
• Completes department purchase orders, tracks expenditures, and deposits, pays department bills and keeps an accurate, electronic ledger of accounts.
• Schedules conferences and meetings, arranges hotel rooms and airline tickets, and provides related administrative support to department staff and Planning Board members.
• Coordinates and collaborates with other Planning Assistants employed by the Planning Department, and other County staff as necessary, to ensure completion of the above tasks.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Performs a variety of other duties as assigned by supervisor. This may include completing special projects and assignments, compiling specialized information into appropriate formats, attending continuing education and training, and a variety of other functions as needed. If the County Commission proclaims a local emergency due to an actual or threatening disaster such as an earthquake, fire, riot, flood, etc., County employees may be required to provide services during the emergency and for a subsequent period of assessment and recovery.

This work requires knowledge of clerical and administrative support methods and procedures, knowledge of office operation and equipment, and familiarity with business and office software. Position must have the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing; be able to multi-task and must be able to learn new information quickly. Position requires heightened knowledge of Planning Department rules, procedures and operations (subdivision, zoning, and floodplain, etc), interpreting maps and legal descriptions, and working with interactive mappers.

The required knowledge, skills, and abilities are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to an Associate’s degree and one to two years’ work experience in a planning office, or a closely related field.

Position must possess a valid driver’s license issued by the state of Montana or attain a Montana driver’s license within six months of hire and be insurable under the County’s liability policies.

As a condition of hire, the final candidate will be required to successfully pass a criminal history check and background investigation.

Gallatin County does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.