Wasco County Commissioners are seeking input from contractors before responding to a letter from the state Building Codes Division about how a new program will be run.
The county board meets at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, to discuss issues related to the state overseeing the permitting office, at least temporarily.
The state has been asked by the county to take over local operations Feb. 1 so there will be no disruption of service, said Tyler Stone, administrative officer for the county.
Building codes has been run by the Mid-Columbia Council of Government, which is disbanding and will no longer provide plan review, inspection and permitting services at its Kelly Avenue headquarters after January.
Stone said the new location for building codes will be the county building on the east end of town (near Les Schwab) that is being leased to the state.
“We all have to follow state code, so it makes sense for them to run the office, but we have heard loud and clear that people also want a local presence,” said Stone.
He said the state letter is seeking to clarify how the office, which could also serve Sherman and Gilliam and Wheeler counties, should be managed.
Stone said the county could assume the services at a later date, and the state is acknowledging that possibility, but the priority right now is to get things in order for a seamless transition when MCCOG shuts its doors.
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