PUEBLO, Colo. — Pueblo County officials told the Board of County Commissioners on July 24 that the county will withdraw from the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City covering the regional building department and begin a multi-step transition of permitting and inspections to county control, and the county attorney requested an executive session to receive legal advice on the IGA termination and to discuss a property matter at 126 East Fourth Street.

Why it matters: Ending the regional IGA would shift permitting operations, contractor licensing and inspection services from the regional entity to Pueblo County operations, affecting contractors, permit applicants and municipal partners such as Pueblo West and Colorado City. County staff said the change aims to create a single online point of entry for applicants and could yield administrative savings.

County Manager Spina Genesio opened the staff update noting a standing presentation schedule on the building permit and inspection transition plan. Cynthia Mitchell, county attorney, asked the board to meet in executive session under Colorado law to receive legal advice about the “termination and related provisions of the IGA with the City regarding the regional building department” and to discuss “the purchase, acquisition, lease, transfer or sale of real property or other property interest” related to 126 East Fourth Street. “I’m requesting an executive session with the board this morning for the purpose of receiving legal advice on specific legal questions under Colorado Revised Statutes §24-6-402(4)(b) … and to discuss [real property] under §24-6-402(4)(a),” Mitchell said.

Personnel and hiring: The county is scheduling interviews for a county building official. "We have had 20 responses, and of those we have identified six candidates to have interviews with. The goal is still to be hired by Aug. 15. We're on track for that date," Director Howard said. Staff said interview questions will be developed with Human Resources and that an interview panel will be used; membership of the panel had not been finalized.

Online systems and partner integration: Staff said the county is working with OpenGov to develop permitting applications and intends weekly configuration meetings with the vendor. The county plans to host a new Pueblo Means Business website as a central resource guide for development, with division-level pages for the building division. Staff said moving away from a separate portal could save the county roughly $10,000 to $20,000 annually. The county is negotiating an intergovernmental agreement with Pueblo West to integrate its permitting into the county's OpenGov instance and plans a presentation to the Colorado City Metro Board on Aug. 12. Staff also reported they have received sample data from the Pueblo County assessor and will coordinate IT and OpenGov to ensure assessor needs are met.

Contractor licensing and transition details: Carmen (staff member) explained contractor licenses are renewed annually and that existing registrants will be migrated into the county system but must re-register with Pueblo County. “So there isn't really a grandfathering type of situation, but rather, we're trying to make it as easy as possible for those contractors to continue doing business with the County without any interruptions,” Carmen said. Staff advised applicants will be assigned a Pueblo Means Business team ambassador who will check in at several touch points during the permitting process to help resolve roadblocks.

Advisory groups and appeals: Staff said they are developing an application for a technical advisory committee (TAC) and expect to aim for a 12-member TAC while encouraging broader public participation at meetings. Staff also said they are reviewing how appeals will be handled and expect to have a single building board of appeals rather than multiple trade-specific appeals boards.

Decisions and next steps: During the update staff noted a previously scheduled meeting for Friday has been canceled and will be rescheduled. County Attorney Mitchell’s request for executive session was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote; the board entered executive session for the stated purposes. Staff listed next steps including finalizing interview panels, continuing OpenGov configuration and coordinating with Pueblo West, Colorado City and the county assessor.

Attribution note: Direct quotes and attributions in this article come from meeting participants as recorded in the July 24, 2025 Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners work session transcript: Cynthia Mitchell (county attorney); Spina Genesio (county manager); Director Howard (building-related director); Carmen (staff member).