County Manager Genesio updated the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners on the county’s plan to assume operations of the regional building department, saying county staff have submitted a notice to withdraw from the intergovernmental agreement and have requested financial and staffing records from the regional entity to support a transition.

The county manager said, “there will be regular updates, and I'm aiming for weekly as long as there's pertinent information to share,” and that a meeting with the city and county regional representatives was scheduled for Friday to “take a deeper dive” on finances and staffing.

The update covered four areas the county is advancing: staffing, a recruitment push for a chief building official, IT and software integration, and a new ambassador program intended to help applicants through the permitting process. Dr. Matthews, director of workplace policy and compliance, described the recruitment work: the chief building official job has been posted, the application period closes Sunday the 13th, and the county is aiming to hire by Aug. 15. Matthews said the county’s typical time to hire ranges from about 40 to 47 days and outlined the selection steps: minimum-qualification review, subject-matter-expert review, interviews and an offer.

A talent-acquisition staff member, Nick, reported recruitment outreach on LinkedIn and direct messaging: he said he has sent 32 LinkedIn InMail messages, published four posts on the county LinkedIn page that together produced more than 1,000 organic impressions and an average engagement rate of 7.14%, and that the posting has produced 17 applicants to date, 15 of whom meet minimum qualifications.

Director Howard, Planning and Development, described technical work with IT staff to transfer permit records and configure new permit workflows. Howard said the county has kicked off a fast-track implementation with OpenGov and will start configuration and builds the following Monday. Howard also detailed an ambassador program: Pueblo Means Business staff will act as ambassadors who “will be introducing themselves at the beginning of the permit process” and guide applicants through submission and permit completion.

Howard and staff said the county is coordinating with Pueblo West — which is already on OpenGov — and pursuing integration discussions with Colorado City to bring their permitting into the county instance where feasible. Howard said the goal is to reduce confusion by providing a single submission point for applicants interacting with metro districts and the county.

County staff presented contract and invoice amounts tied to the OpenGov implementation. The county reported an initial first-year total of $79,720 for permit and licensing, inspection and deployment services and a recurring total beginning May 1, 2026, of $55,818. Staff detailed line items during the briefing: a permit and licensing/inspection additional service area charge of $41,600 (covering July 1–April 30), a professional-services deployment charge of $35,400, and Bluebeam integration fees reported as $2,600 (rounded) in one line and $3,300 in a later line; staff presented the combined totals as $79,720 for the initial contract period and $55,818 for the 05/01/2026–04/30/2027 period.

On budgeting, Genesio said the software and initial costs are currently within the planning and development department’s approved 2025 budget and that staff expect most ongoing costs to be absorbed within existing budget availability. Howard added that the county plans to create a dedicated cost center labeled “Pueblo County Building Department” so revenue and expenses associated with the new division can be tracked separately; staff said that will allow fees collected by the division to be tracked against division operating costs.

Staff also reported progress on outreach: meetings had been held with Pueblo West, a meeting with Colorado City was scheduled for July 11, and a presentation to the metro board is being planned. Howard said the county’s IT staff, plus regional IT representatives Dustin and Mike Colucci, are working on moving historical and current permit records into the new system.

The board asked for regular updates; Genesio said the next update would be the following Thursday. No formal board action to adopt ordinances or to approve contracts was recorded at the hearing on this item; staff reported that the OpenGov contract and related invoices have been signed and budget-tracked, and that the notice to withdraw from the regional intergovernmental agreement has been submitted for the county’s side of the transition.

The commissioners asked about timing for an advisory group for the new division; Howard said the county expects to create an application and form the advisory technical advisory committee by August, after the county’s chief building official is on board.

The county’s presentation included repeated assurances from staff that the intention is for the building division to be self-sustaining through fees once startup costs are covered, while acknowledging the county may need to use existing departmental flexibility or short-term internal funding to cover any upfront expenses during the transition period.