Building permits and code enforcement in some areas of Coos County may soon fall under the jurisdiction of county government rather than the state of Oregon.

The Coos County commissioners are taking a closer look at transferring the permitting and code enforcement power for areas not covered by city regulations.

“It would be a much smoother fit to have building codes overseen by the county,” Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean said.

Commissioners Nikki Whitty and John Griffith have not been so quick to support the idea. The timing of taking over in a slow economy and during a building slump concerns them.

“I’m willing to talk about it and look at more information,” Whitty said.

She is nervous about instituting anything that might cost the county money at a time when there is no budget for it. Stufflebean said the state would have to be willing to transfer resources, such as computers, software and office equipment to the county before any agreement would be approved.  The county would have to take over paying five or six employee salaries as well.

Stufflebean acknowledged the concern about the timing, but said there is a bonus to starting out when business is slow. Taking over when the work load is light will allow the county to learn the operation before the next busy time comes around.

“Sometimes it’s better to start out in a slump,” he said.

He added it might not be as slow as people think. New building is down, but people may choose to remodel instead. Some remodels require permits.

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services Building Codes Division oversees the program and contacted county officials about taking over. The only satellite offices the state still operates for building permits and code are in Coquille and Pendleton, said Patrick Allen, the division’s deputy administrator.

Allen said he was at a Board of Commissioners meeting a little over a year ago explaining the proposal. He said over the past 10 to 15 years there has been a trend of local and city governments taking control of building permits and enforcing codes.

“We used to do quite a bit of it,” he said.

He said local entities are more efficient at dealing with issues in their communities than the state would be.

Stufflebean agreed. “There is a greater amount of accountability,” he said.

Now the state issues building permits and enforces laws, yet the county establishes and enforces land use laws. With one branch working at a state level and the other at a county level, there is a communication disconnect. The result is that building or land use codes violations may slip by because one is not familiar with the requirements of the other.  Stufflebean contended that wouldn’t happen as often with both branches under the county umbrella.

Allen said the ball is in the county’s court. If the board expresses an interest in taking over, the state and the county would negotiate a transfer process.

“We would work with the county to work out a plan that is mutually acceptable,” he said.