Goal is new leadership

EPHRATA — The Grant County commissioners are in the middle stages of realigning the county's Planning Department under the control of Building Department Chief and Fire Marshal Dave Nelson.

Commissioner Richard Stevens said Friday they're considering the move as a way to improve efficiency. The realignment isn't official yet, but a work in progress, he said.

"We're looking for a different flow of leadership," Stevens said in an interview.

Nelson is currently in charge of planning, serving as interim director, he said.

Recent Planning Director Scott Clark changed job titles. He's now a senior planner, Stevens said.

Clark is the department's only senior planner and maintained his director's salary, he said.

The county's Web site still lists Clark as planning director. The department has 10 employees.

Stevens said the change, including rewriting the department's job classifications, is being studied because of the numerous complaints the county received.

"I'm just trying to make planning a more user-friendly place to do business," the commissioner said. "We had so many complaints that things just stopped when they got there."

The Planning Department handles individual land use applications, zoning reviews, shoreline permits, environmental reviews and sign-off for building permits. It also provides information to the public on all issues related to land use, according to the Web site.

The department is plagued by delays and customer service has not met the county's standards, he said.

"There have been so many problems in the last two years," Stevens said.

He said the commission anticipates making an official decision in the next few weeks.

"We're trying to expedite the process the best we can," he said.

The Building Department's function is implementing and enforcing regulations relating to design, construction, use and occupancy of buildings and structures.