Klamath County weighs planning software purchase and adding planner as backlog grows

Klamath County commissioners on June 2 heard a planning presentation outlining a proposal to adopt OpenCounter, a cloud permitting and planning workflow system whose parent company is named Asella, and to pay implementation and initial subscription costs with a $60,000 ARPA grant. Jeremy Morris, who identified himself as handling "software and staffing," told the board the grant would cover roughly $55,000 of implementation and about $25,000 would remain for an annual subscription, estimating implementation would take about six months.

The presentation included an estimate of roughly $50 per planning application, based on an expected 650 annual applications. Morris recommended a three-year contract term (rather than five) so the county could opt out if Asella makes a statewide offering through the state system; he said the county will use a NASPO contract available to Oregon as the procurement vehicle.

Why it matters: planning software could reduce in-person visits and staff time, speed application processing and ease pressure on a department several speakers described as understaffed. Commissioners said they support modernization but asked for more detail on costs, contract terms and how the system would integrate with existing county systems.

Board discussion focused as much on staffing as on the software. Several commissioners and staff described a multi-year reduction in planning personnel (from five–six down to roughly two–three full-time equivalents), leaving the department unable to keep up with the volume of applications and required code updates. One commissioner argued the county currently has about one planner per 18,000 residents, while neighboring jurisdictions typically have one per five–six thousand, and said long-term service levels will likely require both technology and additional personnel.

Commissioners raised options including temporarily closing the planning front counter for catch-up time, hiring temporary staff to clear a backlog, or immediately posting for a third planner FTE. Staff cautioned that temporarily closing the front counter can shift demand to other staff and create service headaches; one county official noted the city had seen better results from longer weekday hours paired with shorter Fridays but said that schedule still did not provide staff downtime. The county has modest reserves (discussed in the meeting as about $215,000) and staff said year-one costs could be accommodated but a five-year staffing plan would be needed to sustain any permanent hire.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to schedule an offline walk-through of the proposed contract and implementation details with Haley, then to return the actual contract to a forthcoming business meeting for formal consideration. One commissioner said the board could also fast-track a finance discussion about posting for a third planner.