After years of cuts and controversy, the 14-year director of Pierce County’s Planning and Land Services department is leaving at the end of this month.
Chuck Kleeberg, 62, said Tuesday he’s returning to work for the City of Seattle’s Public Utilities.
“I want to exercise another skill set besides laying off people before I retire,” Kleeberg said Tuesday.
His department, known by the acronym PALS, has been hard hit during the economic downturn by the decline of the building industry and the loss of permit revenues. PALS processes building and development applications for unincorporated Pierce County and does long-range growth planning.
Since 2008, PALS has been cut from 173 budgeted positions to 75, he said. Kleeberg eliminated 12 positions in August because construction failed to rebound as hoped.
“Our department has had the biggest reductions in the county,” Kleeberg said.
“I’m really, really, really good at laying off people,” Kleeberg said. “But it has a toll. It’s an awful thing to go through.”
Dennis Hanberg, assistant director of PALS, will work as the department’s interim director.
PALS has a budget of $11 million this year and is slated for another 2.5 percent cut in 2012, according to County Executive Pat McCarthy’s proposed budget. Her spending plan would eliminate another 6.5 positions from the department.
In 2008, County Council member Calvin Goings called for Kleeberg to be fired because of a budget shortfall, staffing shortage and problems with customer service. County Executive John Ladenburg said the criticisms were baseless and refused to fire Kleeberg.
Kleeberg outlasted them both; neither Goings nor Ladenburg is still in county government.
Kleeberg said waiting times for permits and customer service have improved in recent years as business has declined and improvements were made.
In his new job, Kleeberg said he will work in the customer-service branch of Seattle Public Utilities, dealing with contracts for solid waste haulers, public outreach and painting crews called graffiti rangers. He was drainage and wastewater utility director in Seattle before becoming director of PALS in 1997.
Kleeberg said his annual salary – before a dozen days of furlough – is about $140,000. His annual salary with Seattle Public Utilities will be $125,000, he said.
Kleeberg said part of the reason he’s leaving is to gain more time with the Seattle utility so he will be vested in that city’s retirement system.
While he’ll work in downtown Seattle, Kleeberg said he will continue to live in Tacoma.
Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/polibuzz
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