At a Lake County planning staff meeting, a staff member outlined short- and long-term goals that center on supporting local housing needs, updating the county building code and reducing dependence on outside consultants and plan reviewers.

The staff member said the short-term goals include "to support the community's housing needs as identified in the 2024 Blake County housing needs assessment" and providing oversight for the "Dola planning grant program." They also described plans to review internal processes and the use of software, saying, "we purchased some software that has not really been utilized because it just hasn't worked" and that staff will work with IT to decide whether to continue, refund, or exit contracts for software that does not serve the department.

The discussion emphasized combining county planning work with economic development, through what staff referred to as the One Community Project, and coordinating with other departments so economic development staff understand planning rules and can help applicants navigate processes. The staff member said the One Community Project will include "creating a shared community vision throughout robust inclusive public engagement" and noted an application for related training is due at the end of the week.

On building-code work, staff said they will "review and update the adopted building code based on best practices that promote safety, health, and welfare of Lake County" and onboard a building professional to "enhance local expertise, service delivery and response time and decrease dependency on external consultants." The staff member said the county is exploring whether in-house capacity could be more cost-effective than continued use of outside consultants.

A commenter raised questions about who bears review costs on development projects and permit fees, saying, "When somebody comes and wants to do a development project...Usually they have to bear the cost of all the everything that goes into our review of that project." The commenter also said permit purchases can run "5 or $6,000," and contrasted that with larger front-range permit fees, noting, "If you can turn to the front range, their permit fees are $40,000 for a super fan." The commenter identified a national plan-review contractor as "Shum's Code," saying, "They're a national company out of California, and they're pretty much taking over all the rural plan review."

Staff and the commenter discussed the balance between charging higher fees and providing faster, localized service; staff said the county is examining fee schedules and whether to phase in changes over one or two years to reduce disruption. The staff member acknowledged limits in recruiting for rural communities and said the county will pursue in-house hires where feasible and appropriate.

The meeting record shows these items were discussed but includes no formal motions, votes or directives to adopt a new code or to hire staff immediately. Next steps identified in the discussion include further work with IT on software decisions, continued engagement on the One Community Project and follow-up conversations about fee schedules and potential in‑house staffing for plan review and inspections.