County Council confirms members of advisory committee on permitting

Panel to consider lowering fees and streamlining process

The Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously approved the members of the panel that will review procedures and costs of building and land-use permit fees charged by the County.

The creation of the Technical Advisory Committee was included in legislation sponsored by King County Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Kathy Lambert and adopted by the Council in November 2007 to make the county’s land-use permitting rules more transparent and fair. The legislation, part of a reform package for the Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES), was in response to a class action judgment against King County by property owners who were overcharged for building permits by DDES from 2000 to 2007.

“County permitting is often a long, complex process that is challenging for working class families. Making our rules more transparent will lead to faster, more efficient permitting and reduce costs for everyone,” said Councilmember Dunn. “I’m confident this Committee will find ways to improve the financial bottom line for families who are building or improving their homes.”

“It is important that citizen oversight occur to ensure DDES upholds fairness, consistency and reasonableness in its permitting policies and processes,” said Councilmember Lambert. I will be interested to see what the advisory committee proposes for ways to improve our citizens’ permit experiences.”

The nine-member panel includes representatives from the unincorporated areas of the county; representatives from the building industry, realtors, forestry and agriculture, fire districts, environmental community, DDES, and the King County Senior Deputy Ombudsman for Rural Affairs:

• Roni Strupat: A resident of Federal Way, Strupat is a realtor specializing in equestrian and farm property in King County. She was the President of the Seattle-King County Association of Realtors in 1997 and was selected Realtor of the Year in 1997.

• Tim Trohimovich: Representing environmental interests. Trohimovich, Planning Director of Futurewise (formerly known as the 1000 Friends of Washington), has more than 20 years of growth management experience.

• Stephanie Warden: The director of DDES, Warden will represent the agency on the committee.

• Larry Rude: Representing fire safety interests. Rude is the Assistant Chief of Support Services at Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety.

• Dan Bruner: Representing agriculture and forestry interests. Bruner is currently a consulting forester at Bruner Forestry. Prior to going solo, Bruner worked for about two decades as a forester. Bruner lives in the city of Buckley

• Gwendolyn High: Representing urban unincorporated area citizens. High is a member of the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council. She has served King County on a transportation concurrency task force and is a neighborhood activist with a long history with DDES.

• Gordon Moorman: Representing urban unincorporated area citizens. Moorman is a member of the Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council and a contractor who has done construction in several jurisdictions throughout Western Washington.

• David Spohr: Spohr is the County’s Senior Deputy Ombudsman for Rural Affairs. A published expert on property rights and land use issues, Spohr was appointed Rural Ombudsman in 2006. His responsibilities include investigating citizen complaints about the operation of county government, including alleged ethics code violations and reports of improper governmental action and retaliation.

The Committee, which will report to the Council, will recommend rules relating to:

• DDES financial policies;
• Review of a flat fee for staff performing financial guarantee management and monitoring services;
• Review of fee waiver procedures;
• Establishment of an administrative appeals process for regulatory fee disputes;
• Establishment of a cap on fees related to department research conducted before a preapplication meeting;
• Exploration of funding options other than fee-for-service for certain functions;
• Recommendations for improvements to the project management process; and
• Determination for the necessity for continuation of the committee.

The Committee is required to submit its recommendations to the Council by September 15, 2008.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system.
type in “2008-0192, 0193, 0195, 0196, 0197, 0198, 0199 and 2008-0200”