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Sanitation staff in Jefferson County ask for help as septic permits surge
Summary
Sanitation staff told county colleagues on Dec. 9 that septic-permit volumes have climbed and counter work is straining a small team; leaders agreed to try scheduling, signage and data collection before proposing a new hire and to reassess during the next budget cycle.
Matt, a sanitation department staff member, told colleagues on Dec. 9 that septic permits are "nearing record numbers" this fall and that counter work and inspections are taking substantial staff time. He said some permit customers travel to county offices only to find the sanitation staffer absent, which can leave residents frustrated and require a lengthy one-on-one session to complete paperwork.
Kelly, a county staff member who helped organize the meeting, summarized that Matt had asked about adding an additional administrative position to help with permits and public-facing work. Kelly said the group discussed full- versus part-time options and that Matt had also raised concerns about whether Molly, the sanitarian currently supporting his work, has sufficient hours to handle both nursing and environmental-health duties.
Staff estimated the cost of a full-time hire in rough terms during the meeting (participants referred to figures discussed in the room of roughly $19–$21 per hour), and one comment in the conversation about annual salary numbers was unclear on the record; participants agreed to clarify payroll estimates before any formal proposal. The sanitation budget was cited as about $133,000 a year, and members flagged that a permanent full-time hire would need to fit within that constraint.
Rather than hire immediately, the group agreed to a set of lower-cost operational changes: posting consistent hours when Matt or environmental-health staff will be available at the counter, coordinating environmental-health clinic schedules (vaccination clinic hours were discussed as a potential window), improving internal communications about when Molly will perform sanitarian tasks, and cross-training other staff to field basic customer inquiries. Staff also offered to produce signage and update the website and social media to reduce public confusion.
Kelly said she had spoken with Molly, who "did not feel like she was overwhelmed" and believed she could handle additional duties when scheduled; that assessment was discussed as a counterpoint to Matt's request. Participants asked for concrete data — how many hours Molly has spent on sanitation duties this year and how much the county has paid independent contractors — and agreed to collect that information and revisit the hiring decision during the June budget cycle if scheduling and process fixes do not resolve the workload problem.
The group also noted a county wastewater regulation that sets a 10-day goal for issuing septic permits; staff said they would review whether that target is required by law or is an internal operating goal and whether adjusting the target or process could help manage public expectations. Several attendees emphasized that some septic inspections and complaint responses require rapid, on-site work that can conflict with fixed counter hours.
A participant offered to contact a constituent who had repeatedly complained about debris along Yellowstone Trail and to follow up with DEQ contacts to reduce the number of calls directed to sanitation staff. No formal motion or hiring decision was made at the meeting; participants closed by agreeing to try the scheduling and communication steps, gather usage and cost data, and reassess during the upcoming budget process.
