Community Development reports shifting permit mix and asks board to extend limited-term inspector to maintain countywide coverage

Deputy County Manager Eric Peterson introduced Community Developments budget presentation and Jay, the department director, told the board the department continues to manage heavy permit workloads despite turnover and vacancies.

Jay said building-permit revenues remain a substantial part of the departments work and described recent large projects (a solar transmission-phase payment and a large non-renewable warehouse), but emphasized a shift in the permit mix: "Our new home builds are down quite a bit. We're about 249 as of the end of day yesterday. We were over 400 last year. We're the only ones that seem to be down," Jay said. He added that residential-miscellaneous permits (remodels, solar, panel upgrades) are "through the roof," producing high daily volumes but smaller dollar values.

Why it matters: the department said it has high vacancy levels (about nine open positions including key supervisors) and that inspection coverage across Coconino County can be uneven. To address an equity complaint raised by the building community in prior years, the board previously funded a term-limited inspector so that remote areas would receive more frequent inspection service.

What the department requested: Community Development asked to extend one inspector LTE to provide a six-month ramp-down in the managers recommended budget; that recommendation would keep the LTE funded through the end of the calendar year. Jay said the LTE positions have been continuously filled and that the position helped ensure equitable inspection access countywide.

Board reaction and next steps: Supervisors pressed for a geographic breakdown of permit demand and asked county managers to work with Community Development to optimize inspection routes and return with a plan showing how the county will preserve equitable service if LTE funding ends. Jay and staff agreed to provide a follow-up plan and recommended quarterly reporting on backlog and permit volumes.