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Astoria council adds deputy building official classification to aid recruitment; salary range approved
Summary
The council adopted a new deputy building official job title and amended the salary resolution to add a recruitment stepping stone for building-official hires, approving a salary range of $73,440–$89,266 and confirming mentorship and certification plans.
City manager Spence and community development director John Roberts told the Astoria City Council on May 19 that the city is adding a deputy building official classification to aid recruitment of a permanent building official. Spence said the intent is "not to hire a deputy as well as a building official" but to widen the recruitment pool so candidates who do not yet meet full certification can be hired and mentored toward certification.
Spence presented the proposed salary range for the deputy position, saying the first step would be $73,440 and the top step $89,266. He said the market for certified building officials is "very constrained" and the new classification is a workforce-development strategy: hire a deputy, support them to attain state building-official certification, and then promote when qualified.
Councilors asked whether existing part-time building officials would be retained to mentor a deputy; Spence said the city would keep at least one experienced part-time official to provide supervision and mentorship. Councilor Davis asked for clarification that the plan still envisions hiring one full-capacity building official eventually; staff confirmed that remains the goal.
Councilor Adams moved adoption of the job title and the amended salary resolution; Councilor Davis seconded. A roll-call vote approved the addition (Councilor Davis — yes; Councilor Adams — yes; Councilor Lum — yes; Mayor Fitzpatrick — yes). City staff said the recruitment approach will be implemented by the Community Development Department and that additional training and state certification process steps will be part of the new hire's plan.
The council did not set a specific hiring timeline at the meeting but instructed staff to proceed with recruitment under the revised classification and salary schedule.
