Columbia County officials appointed Dina Martin interim building official and set the appointment effective immediately at 8:30 a.m., during a short meeting that also addressed temporary inspection coverage and staffing timelines.

County staff said the change was needed after the previous building official, Robert, left the county. A county staff member cited the International Building Code in explaining the duties: "the International Building Code states that the building official is the person who has the authority to intake permits, review permits, perform inspections, or authorize other people to do that for them." The staff member asked to be named interim building official to allow the county to bring on other people to assist with permit intake, inspections and plan review until a permanent replacement is hired.

The motion to appoint Dina Martin as interim building official was made by a board member. The chair announced: "There's a motion before the board that we, appoint Dina, Martin." After setting the effective time at 8:30 a.m., the chair called for a voice vote: "All those in favor, say aye." The chair recorded the motion as carried. Individual roll-call votes were not specified in the meeting record.

Board members and staff discussed immediate operational needs. The staff member said the county is seeking part-time help for inspections and plan review and mentioned a local candidate: "Kim Liones, I did talk to him. He said he he would be willing to help out." The staff member also said another staffer, Christie, is expected to return the following day to negotiate staffing and payroll placement.

Staff emphasized a near-term hiring deadline tied to payroll cycles. "We can only hire on the first and the sixteenth," the staff member said, and added that the county needs "something on board by the sixteenth" to avoid a gap in services. The discussion also touched on the role of the fire marshal: a board member asked, "What does the fire marshal do?" The staff member replied that the fire marshal typically investigates potentially suspicious fires, responds on-site to write reports when called by the chief, and was expected to take on other duties such as safety inspections and safety-plan reviews for schools and occupational permits for businesses, although several of those changes had not yet been implemented.

The meeting included no additional agenda items on the topic; the chair adjourned after the appointment and staffing discussion. Staff said they will attempt to finalize temporary inspection coverage and payroll arrangements before the sixteenth.