Housing woes hit county workers

Sat., May 10, 2008

By Jonathan Brunt jonathanb@spokesman.com (509) 459-5442

A sharp decline in residential construction has led county officials to lay off eight building and planning employees.

The county issued 149 permits for residential construction from the start of the year through April. That’s down from 280 in the same period in 2007, said Mark Holman, assistant building and planning director.

The fall is more drastic compared with the January-through-April periods in 2005 and 2006, when the numbers of permits were in the 400s, he said.

The eight workers were informed Tuesday that they will be laid off at the end of May. They include three building inspectors, three support staffers, a planner and a graphics illustrator, Holman said. Additionally, seven open positions will remain unfilled, reducing the building and planning staff to 43.

“It’s a very difficult period to go through, though not as difficult as for the people who will be unemployed,” Holman said.

Spokane County pays for its building and planning department through permitting and other fees. Residential permits usually cost about $1,200, depending on the size of the structure, Holman said.

Attempts made to reach a representative of the county’s employees union were unsuccessful late Friday afternoon.

County Commissioner Mark Richard said that department leaders decided the layoffs were necessary and that commissioners were informed.

“Regrettably, when the market takes a shift like this, it affects real people,” Richard said.

The county isn’t alone in witnessing a sharp decline in permits.

Sixty-three building permits were issued in Spokane Valley from January through March, down from 88 in the same period in 2007 and 105 in 2006.

Despite the drop, Spokane Valley spokeswoman Carolbelle Branch said no layoffs are planned.

City of Spokane spokeswoman Marlene Feist said building permits also are down in Spokane. But “we have had no talk of any type of reduction in force,” she said.

Holman said laid-off workers are kept on a callback list for 18 months in case jobs reopen.

But a quick recovery in construction seems unlikely, he said.

“Everything I’ve read is more on the gloomy side than on the upbeat side,” he said.

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