I realize this is a city organization and that dealing with the public is not easy but, my experience with Decatur Planning has been difficult. I have been working with the department for over 10 years now and my problem remains the same, it is not easy to do the right thing. I have tried to make sure I was in compliance, ask for help, provide information as needed but the whole department is set up to put a burden on the person wanting to improve their property. I think if you are a builder and just want to knock down houses it is much easier to deal with the department. For a homeowner that is only doing something relatively small every other year, the forms are not easy to fill out. You have to take time off of work to meet the hours of the department and appear in person. No one calls you back even after leaving information repeatedly on the answering machine. It would be much easier if it was organized like the property tax where you can look everything up online and make a payment. Better yet a kiosk in Lowes that takes your credit card.