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Engineer's office seeks permit coordinators; commissioners weigh admin reclassification and enforcement trade-offs
Summary
The county engineer presented a draft job description for two permit coordinators to reduce permit processing times and manage violations; commissioners debated using an administrative specialist or reassigning duties to existing code compliance to avoid new recurring hires.
Mary Ellen of the county engineer's office presented a draft job description and argued the proposed permit coordinator would handle technical review, coordinate with fire marshal and City of Boerne, track violations and keep permit processes moving—tasks now adding weeks to review times because staff are stretched thin.
Commissioners raised competing options: reclassify an administrative assistant to pick up duties, use the certified code-compliance officer with a temporary pay adjustment, or hire the two coordinators midyear to reduce backlog. Commissioner Kaufman urged efficiency and warned against continual staff growth; Commissioner Cameron advocated enforcing codes now or abandoning enforcement. Mary Ellen provided permit-volume data, noting a more-than-100% increase in time-intensive commercial permits from 2024 to 2025 and current staff comp time totaling about 250 hours in her office.
The court did not adopt an immediate hire for both permit coordinators; members suggested waiting for the engineering-department reorganization and the consultant's efficiency review before approving full-time hires, but the court left open targeted administrative reclassification and midyear funding options.
