Tough times and complaints from a struggling building industry have led local governments to rethink how they do business.

Sacramento and El Dorado counties recently announced plans to make it easier and faster for people to get planning approval and building permits for projects.

County officials and industry representatives say the streamlining will help both weather hard times and position them for the next boom.

"This is a key part of an economic development strategy," Kirk Bone of Parker Development told the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors during a recent meeting.

A special panel recommended setting up a self-help center for customers with planning projects, and eliminating or postponing some requirements that would require expensive and time-consuming studies.

El Dorado supervisors next month will consider the anticipated cost for the changes and when the recommendations could be implemented.

Their discussion occurred the same day the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors agreed to replace its two planning commissions with one. The single commission will also hear zoning appeals.

Steven Pedretti, deputy administrator of development services, said much of the commissions' former workload is now handled by community councils, who rule on local planning issues.

In addition, Pedretti said, county planners now prepare a project's staff report concurrently with the environmental study, rather than waiting for the EIR's completion.

Average residents also will benefit from other changes that are being planned, he said, explaining that people will be able to apply and pay online for permits for minor projects, such as replacing a water heater or reroofing their house, saving them the trip to a county office.

Many of the steps El Dorado and Sacramento counties are beginning to take were implemented earlier by Placer and Yolo counties. Officials there say the changes already are paying dividends.

"We did this several years ago when there was a downturn in the economy," said John Bencomo, planning and public works director in Yolo County.

John Marin, director of Placer County's Community Development Resource Agency, said Placer County in January completed a three-year program to streamline its development services.

Placer has consolidated its development-related services into the same agency to serve as a "one-stop shop" for customers. The county also offers standardized environmental impact report forms on the county Web site.

The average time for an environmental review has shrunk from nine months to four, Marin said.

Dennis Rogers of the North State Building Industry Association said providing as much upfront information as possible to developers is critical.

"If you know what the rules are going in, you can make rational decisions," he said.

But some people question whether the streamling efforts provide adequate protection for neighbors and others affected by the projects.

"The question is, where does the public fit into this?" Ken Greenwood, a land-use consultant told El Dorado County supervisors. Getting the public involved early in the review process, he said, could help identify and resolve problems before a project goes to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.

Sacramento County officials are looking to the Internet to spread information quickly about proposed developments.

Pedretti said information about development projects will be posted on the department's Web site. Residents will be able to enter their address and pull up information on all projects in the area where they live, he said.

"We want a seamless site on the Internet … so people can see what is going on in their neighborhood," he said.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 608-7451.