The city of Phoenix wants to hire more employees to keep up with construction activity. The Planning and Development Department plans to add 14 positions, mostly to review plans and handle inspections.

During the first five months of 2017, Phoenix reported a 31 percent increase in new home construction permits issued, compared to the first five months of 2016. The increase in multifamily units was 71 percent during the same period.

In a written report to the city council, Planning and Development Director Alan Stephenson said, “The increase in workload in these areas has made it difficult for PDD staff to meet customer service expectations and target plan review and inspection time frames.”

On Wednesday, the council approved the new jobs, which are expected to cost nearly $685,000 from January to June 2018 and $1.3 million for fiscal year 2018-2019.

No general fund dollars were requested. Compensation should be covered by fees for permits and plan reviews.