Haley Matson, director of Pasco’s Community and Economic Development Department, presented a department work plan Sept. 8 that lays out state-mandated code updates, local policy changes and a series of customer-service and permit-system improvements.
Matson said the plan compiles input from council, the city manager’s office, staff and applicants. She described two buckets of work: policy and legislative code changes (including state-driven items from 2023–2025) and internal process improvements such as online payments, a public development map and standardized permit process sheets.
Matson told the council she will host a developer forum in October at the Home Builders Association facility to gather input and that staff intends to recruit a senior planner to help carry the workload. She said state mandates are extensive — 16 outstanding items carried into 2025 and roughly 30 new items from the 2025 legislative session — and that some changes are required under the Washington Growth Management Act.
On performance goals, Matson proposed reducing permit processing time by 20% by 2026 and posting target and actual permit timelines online. Process-improvement items include implementing an online permit portal (eliminating PDF uploads), integrating payment systems, instituting a customer-service survey, producing step-by-step process sheets for each permit task, and publishing a development map with project details and, eventually, project documents.
Multiple councilmembers raised concerns about staffing and the tradeoffs between using in-house staff versus consultants. Councilmember Harpster asked that the plan include review of the 2023 residential design standards and street-design language because implementation has produced outcomes developers find problematic. Matson said staff will add a review of building-code appeals procedures and suggested moving building-code appeals to the hearing examiner if appropriate. Councilmembers repeatedly urged clearer timelines and asked staff to prioritize overdue items.
Matson said the comprehensive plan update (to 2046) will be supported by a consultant and will take priority; she said some local code work may require memoranda of understanding with local tribes for cultural resource review. She recommended staff bring specific code-change proposals back to council and the planning commission in sequence, and to treat this work plan as a living document to be updated regularly.