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The Town of Florence made changes to its organizational structure. The key changes include renaming the Planning and Zoning Department to Community Development Department, and adding two Deputy Town Manager positions that report directly to the Town Manager.
Both Deputy Manager positions were filled internally. Lisa Garcia, who has served the Town of Florence since 1994 as the Town Clerk, was named the Deputy Town Manager for Administrative and Support Services. Ms. Garcia now oversees the Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology Departments. Ms. Garcia retains her responsibilities as the Town Clerk.
Jess Knudson was named the Deputy Town Manager for Community and Development Services. Mr. Knudson, who has served the Town of Florence since 2004, now oversees the Public Works, Community Development, Library, and Parks and Recreation Departments. Mr. Knudson retains his responsibilities as the Public Information Officer.
The services provided by the Community Development Department are identical to the services provided by the Planning and Zoning Department in past years. Services include planning, building safety, transportation planning, zoning, code compliance, and historic preservation.
Town Manager Himanshu Patel discussed some of the impacts of the new organizational change. “The benefits of the organizational change include the streamlining of the internal operations of the Town for the purpose of increasing the focus on Town finances and a means to further improve the level of services provided to the public.” Mr. Patel goes on to say, “The Town of Florence has grown significantly in the last ten years as an organization and as a community. This change allows us to become more responsive to the needs of the community and effectively plan our future.”