Building official reports inspections volume, Apple data-center progress and extraction-facility fire

Brandon Davis, the county building official, presented the monthly building department report for June: roughly 10 new houses, about 1,000 inspections per month on average, 156 houses currently under the department's inspection program and substantial commercial permit activity. "We're still kind of running about a 3 year average of normal residential commercial type activity," Brandon said.

Brandon reported that a smaller data center near the Humane Society is close to coming online but is still waiting for power (staff said work could be complete and power available around October). He said the Apple data-center project is progressing toward build-out of additional data halls. On a separate matter, Brandon described a fire at an extraction/hemp facility that inspectors found had no functioning fire-suppression water flow; staff temporarily condemned parts of the facility and required contractors to verify wiring and suppression systems. Brandon said outside technical specialists (Jensen Hughes) were engaged to verify equipment and isolation systems before the facility could resume full operations.

On staffing, Brandon said the department faces loss of multiple senior plans-exam staff and that the county may need to recruit for A-level examiners or consider short-term staffing adjustments; he noted the state limits cross-training for certain certifications and warned a budget amendment or hiring request could follow. Commissioners asked staff to assess timing and return with specific staffing options if needed.