Inspections department seeks IT analyst, permit‑tech reclassifications and a customer‑facing annex overhaul

Pender County inspections staff told commissioners they are filling vacant permit technician and inspection roles and plan to modernize the permitting workflow through software and office changes, including a requested new IT analyst (level 3) dedicated primarily to enterprise permitting and licensing.

Inspections leadership requested reclassifying permit technicians and an administrative specialist to a higher grade to reflect workload and market comparators. Staff proposed two replacement vehicles that meet the county replacement policy and described a plan to repurpose older vehicles to other departments where possible.

The department outlined a modernization plan for the county annex permitting counter: staff described a proposal for customer‑facing stations, a wall‑mounted monitor for staff to display plan reviews to applicants, and choice of durable flooring (vinyl plank) versus carpet. Staff asked to reallocate funds from salary lag (vacant positions) toward modest annex improvements (estimates ranged from about $25,100 for a carpet option to $33,100 for a longer‑life finish).

Inspections reported $2.6 million in combined permitting and inspection revenue so far in the fiscal year. Staff said permitting turnaround targets are constrained by the need to obtain required outside agency approvals (NCDOT drive permits, DEQ erosion/stormwater permits, Army Corps wetlands permits) before county permits can be issued for some projects. Staff said their goal is to reduce permit friction and to align digital workflow so that applicants can begin applications and pay at self‑service kiosks while staff conduct reviews.

A newly proposed IT analyst (position funded about 80% by inspections and 20% by the county IT department) would be hosted in IT but dedicate most of its time to Tyler (enterprise permitting/license) workflow, the department said. County IT staff told the board they support a specialized analyst because the county’s enterprise system set is large and modernizing permitting will require a specialist to design workflows and manage ongoing changes.

Commissioners praised the staffing and modernization focus and asked staff to quantify how improved workflows will affect permit turnaround times and to ensure that any annex changes are scalable to other county facilities. Staff said they will pursue the Tyler developer engagement already scheduled and return with more detailed cost/benefit information.