Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect that Darcie Nielsen recently accepted the position of Planning Manager.

After being stymied with backlogs and other customer complaints, San Juan County Council restructured the Department of Community Development. The move resulted in the loss of five planning positions. While islanders will still work with staff in the DCD, permits will be sent to out-of-county companies for review and approval.

“The process for applicants will remain the same. Land use applications will continue to be submitted directly to San Juan County Department of Community Development,” Mark Tompkins, interim DCD Director explained.

Once submitted, county staff will review the application for completeness and ensure all material is available electronically. They will then notify the contractor that the application is ready for review.

“The third-party contractor will review the application and material for compliance with local codes. If additional information is necessary, local staff will request from the applicant. Once the third-party review is complete, staff will issue the final Land Use approval,” said Tompkins, who declined to provide the company’s name. “While we previously released the names of two firms that have been assisting with reviews, we are not releasing the name of the new firm. Our staff will be the point of contact for all applicants and act as the interface with the contractor. This will maintain a local point of contact for applicants and allow the contractor to focus on reviews.”

When asked if a specific incident caused the restructuring, Tompkins said, “I would not say there was a straw that broke the camel’s back. We have been facing multiple issues (i.e. long permit review times; difficulty recruiting a director and sustaining long-term leadership, and increasingly low staff capacity).”

According to Tompkins, those issues resulted in significant community concerns over the past few years around the county’s ability to provide timely and consistent permit reviews.

“Efforts to address these issues have not achieved the results we are striving for. As a result, we are taking a multi-step approach to improve our service levels,” Tompkins explained. Those steps include, among others, updating the Uniform Development Code to make it clear, more user-friendly, and in line with current legislation, adding a code enforcement officer and contracting out for certain land-use permit reviews.

“We are optimistic all these efforts will improve our service levels and restore trust with the community,” Tompkins said.

However, a total of five staff members, one of whom was temporary, received what Tompkins called a reduction in force notice. Those job titles included Planner II, Planner III and Planner IV. The department has been without a director for nearly a year, and the search for one is currently on hold “until we sort through the third-party review process,” according to Tompkins.

As of press time, the county has worked through the process and third party reviews are underway. The county will continue to refine/adjust the process to improve efficiency, according to Tompkins.

“We will be completing a three-month evaluation where we will assess the entire process. These findings will be presented to the County Council in the October timeframe,” Tompkins said.

The union and county are working through the details of the employees whose positions were eliminated.

“Our attorneys are working with their attorneys. We have agreed to allow a third party to perform their contract until further notice,” Edward Allen, union Council 2 Deputy Direcctor said.

The county is also in the process of recruiting a Code Enforcement Officer and Permit Technician. Long time islander and former planner as well as County Council member, Darcie Nielson, has recently accepted the job as Planning Manager. She is scheduleled to begin in mid September. According to Tompkins, total staffing under the current structure of the DCD had 18 regular positions and one temporary position. Once all open positions are filled, the department will have 16 regular positions.

There has been some speculation that some employees were let go due to their position on controversial permits.

Tompkins responded, “I’m not sure who is spreading this information but it is completely unfounded. As stated above, the decision is part of a multi-step approach to address the significant community concerns regarding our service levels. These community concerns have been being raised for nearly two years.”

The Journal also reached out Council Chair Jane Fuller. At the time of publication, the county council was not available to comment on the DCD restructuring.

“Both parties continue to work through this impasse. We look forward to finding a remedy while our members undergo this hardship,” Allen said.