Community Development director warns staffing cuts would slow permits, risk legal deadlines and reduce revenue

Bruce Emery, director of the Clallam County Department of Community Development, told the Board of County Commissioners that the department is operating at or below minimum staffing and that additional reductions would harm permitting, planning and environmental work.

Emery said permit turnaround times are currently about 4–6 weeks for building permits and 30–90 days for planning permits depending on type; he warned that cuts would lengthen those times and likely reduce permit revenue. He noted the building‑division salary for the vacant building official position is about 10% under market, making recruitment difficult; he said the department has had only one qualified applicant who later withdrew.

Why it matters: Emery said faster permit processing supports construction activity and assessed‑value growth — which in turn boosts county revenue. He emphasized that mandated functions derive from state laws cited during the presentation, and that timing requirements in state law could become harder to meet if staffing declines.

Details Emery provided: - Staffing: DCD listed about 24.1 FTEs in total; a 7% reduction exercise from the previous budget year had already eliminated positions and taken other steps. Emery estimated that a 10% reduction would equate to about 2.4 FTEs per year for his department. - Legal mandates: Emery referenced the state building code (noting RCW citations mentioned in the meeting) and the planning laws that guide county duties — planning enabling act, Growth Management Act, the Subdivision Act, the Shoreline Management Act and the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). - Environmental programs: Emery described the county's salmon‑recovery work, stream‑keeper program and grant structure; he warned that failing programs could trigger far larger remediation and infrastructure costs, including potential National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and stormwater infrastructure requirements.

Emery concluded that the department is at the minimum configuration needed to meet mandated services and that further reductions “will noticeably reduce current service levels.” Commissioners asked about the county's comprehensive‑plan update and Emery said staff and a consultant team are on schedule for a year‑end completion but that long‑range planning capacity is limited and handled on a project basis.

Emery said the department would be open to exploring efficiencies but reiterated that mandated services and legal time limits constrain how much can be cut without harmful side effects.