They arguably fell short of fighting words, but Denver Mayor Michael Hancock used some strong language to dispute an audit critical of the city’s planning and development department, which detailed long wait times to process building permits.

As the Denver Business Journal reports, Hancock articulated his concerns about the audit in a strong-toned letter on Friday to Auditor Timothy O’Brien – uncharacteristic of the mayor when addressing other city officials. The mayor called the audit  “politicized, dramatized,” argued it “in some cases misrepresented the audit findings” and said the department had already made many changes to improve service.

As the Journal’s Ed Sealover reports:

“In the face of historic workloads, CPD [the Denver Community Planning and Development Department] has made significant strides in plan review, permitting and inspections since Denver’s building boom began,” Hancock wrote. “By investing personnel, technology and outsourcing, this department has demonstrated what rising to the challenge truly means, and is not ‘delaying development across the city’.”

Speaking to a press release issued Thursday by the Auditor’s Office, Hancock called for “more thoughtful, measured and accurate” communications with the media.

In an audit of Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development (CPD) Development Services division, O’Brien’s office said it discovered long wait times and disorganized filing systems leading to significant delays in building permits being processed. The delays are especially troubling considering Denver’s construction boom, the office said.

Wait times averaged more than 90 minutes for submission of a building permit, while wait times in Colorado Springs and Aurora average of 30 to 45 minutes. And insufficient storage space resulted in a disorganized system and inefficient use of staff time. Approved plans for archiving are backlogged by at least six months.

The Auditor’s Office said CPD has agreed to address long lines by training staff by 2018 and updating its paper filing system through organization and by digitization.