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Board directs staff to continue search for building official and approves county pay-study plus fire-services review
Summary
County administration reported a viable candidate for a building-official position and commissioners directed staff to continue recruitment while also approving a county pay-scale study and a concurrent review of how the county distributes fire-department funds.
Washington County commissioners discussed building-department operations and compensation and directed staff to continue recruitment for a licensed building official while also authorizing a pay-scale study and a separate fire-service funding study.
Why it matters: The county currently relies on contract inspectors and interim staff for building inspections and plan review; commissioners sought numbers on costs and staffing before deciding whether to hire an in-house building official and supporting inspectors. Separately, commissioners said the county needs an updated pay-scale study and a fire-service allocation study to ensure pay and the half-mill distribution are aligned with current county needs.
County administration reviewed six-month cost figures for outside inspection and plan-review services and said the county had paid outside inspectors and contractors for that period; staff said they are assembling revenue figures that will better show whether the function is self-supporting. The administrator told the board a viable applicant for the building-official position has applied and can be provisionally appointed subject to a state provisional-license rule if required; the candidate is prepared to sit for the state exam within statutory timeframes.
On the pay study, administrators recommended hiring a consulting firm experienced in compensation studies and fire-department funding formulas. Because the county lacks an up-to-date compensation-comparison study (and the existing fire-funding allocation is based on an old study), the board authorized staff to set aside the procurement policy for this case and engage a recommended firm, directing the administrator to return a firm cost estimate at the board’s special meeting.
The board also asked staff to return with detailed, near-term budget and workload projections for the building department (including proposed staffing mixes such as a building official plus inspectors and estimated benefit costs) so commissioners can make a final hiring decision.
Ending: Staff will continue the applicant process for the building-official position, gather and present staffing and revenue numbers, and return cost estimates for an external pay-scale and fire-services study for board approval at the special meeting.
