Clatsop County environmental health staff cite inspections backlog, propose added inspector

Clatsop County Health and Human Services staff briefed the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 24 about environmental health workloads, staffing and inspection processes, and said they are considering hiring an additional inspector to reduce backlog.

Kathy Brockman, the county’s health and human services director, told commissioners the environmental health team has 2.8 full‑time equivalent staff (not including herself) and processes about 600 permits statewide, the largest share of which are food‑service facilities. Staff said inspections are time‑intensive because many permits require multiple site visits, including preopening plan review and re‑inspections after compliance failures.

Environmental health staff described how program fees fund all positions in the unit and that the department has pursued modest, cost‑of‑living fee increases rather than large jumps that would disrupt vendors. Inspectors follow state standards and classification scoring that divides violations into priority (5 points), priority‑foundation (3 points), and core (unscored) categories; a score below 70 out of 100 is recorded as a failure and triggers additional reinspections and a full follow‑up inspection within 45 days.

Staff also described a recent certification milestone: an inspector who spent a week with state staff completed a standardization review and was certified as meeting the department’s scoring standard. That certification, Brockman said, will help the county train new inspectors.

Brockman and Andrew “Andy” (environmental health inspector) told the board the county has been recruiting for an environmental health manager but that a preferred candidate recently declined. Given the workload, they said hiring an additional inspector who can perform field inspections — rather than a primarily managerial hire — is the most cost‑effective option at this time.

Staff highlighted operational challenges around temporary events where multiple vendors require inspections on weekends, and said they are exploring strategies to schedule inspections efficiently so events are not delayed. They also described how inspectors sometimes must close facilities immediately for on‑site correctable violations (for example, a single refrigeration unit out of temperature that cannot be remedied), and how the closure and reinspection process is designed to protect public health.

Commissioners and staff praised the unit’s work and the recent certified inspector achievement. Commissioners asked about workload and thanked staff for handling a heavy inspection schedule; no formal action was taken during the Sept. 24 meeting.

Staff said they will continue recruitment efforts and return to the board with any recommended staffing changes or budget requests.