One thing I didn't mention in yesterday's posts about the city's $67 million 2011 budget shortfall is that that number doesn't reflect the departments, like the Department of Planning and Development, that aren't funded through the general fund.

This morning, DPD director Diane Sugimura laid out DPD's bleak situation for the city council's planning committee, chaired by council member Sally Clark. Because DPD is funded largely by permit fees, it's one of the hardest-hit departments during economic downturns, when developers stop building or build smaller projects. So far this year, the total number of permits is up from the same period last year, for example, but their total value is down 15 percent. Meanwhile, applications for master use permits---a basic permit developers must get before applying for building permits for large projects---are down to 29 a month, down from a high of 93.

What that means for DPD: In addition to cuts in service (Sugimura said she would ask the council for permission to reduce the number of hours DPD's service window is open), DPD will continue to see layoffs out of proportion to other city departments. Earlier this month, Sugimura said, she gave layoff notices to 35 more employees, bringing the department to about 300 employees from a high of around 450---a cut of more than 30 percent. "We are reaching very, very deep for these cuts," Sugimura said.

As we  reported yesterday, the budget shortfall could mean cuts to some departments of as much as 15 percent; in addition, the city is likely to increase user fees for things like soccer fields and pools and start charging for services that are currently free.