You are in good company, and we love sharing educational, fun and important information with you.
Sandy: Once again, Tom, here we are back in print and landing in mailboxes. I, of course, love all the building officials in our Quad Cities area, and this month we wanted to share the CBO of Yavapai County with our readers.
Tom: That would be the domain of Chief Building Official, Carrie Holmes. Let’s bring Carrie in on the conversation.
Sandy: Tom, as they say, this is bittersweet. Carrie is retiring as chief building official for Yavapai County at the end of January 2024, and I thought it would be great to have her talk with us about the changes and challenges she has faced throughout her tenure as CBO.
Tom: Excellent idea! Carrie, welcome to “At Home with Tom and Sandy.”
Carrie: Thank you for inviting me. I love talking about the building department.
Sandy: Carrie, how long have you been with Yavapai County?
Carrie: I have been with the department for 19 years and have served as the chief building official for the past five years.
Tom: That’s quite a while. When you started, I think Yavapai County had not yet implemented the building code county-wide yet.
Carrie: That’s true. However, within a year, the county-wide code implementation was established. The end of 2005 is when it became the law.
Sandy: This is a huge county. Before that time, it was only applied to the more urbanized areas, correct?
Carrie: Yes. The difficulty of knowing where to apply the code came up as the county population grew. Making the rules apply county-wide was the only real option.
Tom: I know that brought on a lot of challenges for the department. As the population grew and continues to grow, I suspect it wasn’t the only challenge though.
Sandy: That might be quite an understatement, Tom. Carrie, looking back over your time at the county, what were some of the big changes you have seen?
Carrie: Oh my! Well yes, that is an understatement, Tom. While there have been a lot of changes and challenges, perhaps the one that stands out most in my experience is the high volume of permit applications we have seen.
Sandy: We have all heard that the permit numbers are up. About when did you notice that starting?
Carrie: I would have to say that after the downturn in 2008 through 2010, we started seeing the volume of permits rising quite rapidly. Over the past five years, the number of permit applications has been almost doubling each year.
Tom: Wow, that is huge! Why don’t you tell our readers about some of the impacts that has had on the department.
Carrie: As Sandy said earlier, this is a large county. We are responsible for all the unincorporated areas. That means everything outside of established city or town limits from west of Seligman to Wickenburg, and from Sedona to Black Canyon City.
Sandy: That is a lot of territory, for sure. When permit applications are submitted to your offices in Cottonwood and Prescott, you still have to go out into the field to perform onsite inspections.
Carrie: Yes, we do. The miles driven by our inspectors are the equivalent of going to the moon, and halfway back again. Coordinating those trips and balancing timeliness along with efficient routes is challenging.
Tom: I imagine staffing effectively is another challenge.
Carrie: We are no different from any other government or private sector entity in that regard.
Sandy: Affordability goes beyond just housing and has had an impact on recruiting across the board. Carrie, have you seen a particular area in the county as having more growth than another?
Carrie: Well, the areas around incorporated cities and towns are typically magnets, however the unincorporated areas are experiencing an uptick in permit applications as well. Outlying areas tend to have slightly lower land costs and are attracting new construction.
Tom: I suppose the adage, ‘Drive until you can afford the land’ is applicable.
Sandy: Boy, oh boy, isn’t that the truth.
Carrie, tell us about the building code updates in the county. How many updates have you seen?
Carrie: The code book is updated nationally every three years. Yavapai County typically has skipped every other update. We have had three updates since I have been here, 2003, 2006, 2012, and then again in 2018. We are due for another look in 2024.
Tom: The code book seems to get bigger with each update. Does your team review the updates for relevancy to Yavapai County? How does that work?
Carrie: There are basically two considerations that we take into account: safety and making the code understandable.
Sandy: Safety is clearly a reason to adopt new codes and we all get that. Tell us what you mean by making the code more understandable.
Carrie: A big part of my job has been communication to not just the industry, but to the public as well. Interactions with our staff and the public occur daily at both locations. Folks come to our counter wanting to undertake a project and this moment gives us a great opportunity to interact and educate.
Sandy: That is so important. Communication is key to promote education about why the codes exist and how they help.
Carrie: We are trying to let the public know that really, we are a resource to help them. When codes are updated it is not to make your life tougher. The code represents minimal requirements to ensure the safety and welfare of our citizens.
We review every code update to see what makes sense. Changes occur when smart new rules are incorporated and old codes that no longer make sense are eliminated.
Tom: In essence, you have been working toward the goal of making the codes reasonable. As a follower of those codes, I will say you have been largely successful in that regard. Your efforts have given you the stellar reputation of having a generous dose of common sense.
Sandy: I will echo that as well. As you retire, what do you see on the horizon that we might share with our readers?
Carrie: There will be a new code update review next year and my successor, Warren Colvin, will be working through that process. The key to success in engaging the public is openness. This is the crux of any progress and communication is the critical tool to make that happen.
Sandy: Carrie, as you move into retirement, on behalf of YCCA, our members and the industry, thank you for your love of the industry and we hope you find bunches of enjoyment in your new retired life.
Thanks for stopping in to read “At Home with Tom and Sandy.” You are in good company, and we love sharing educational, fun and important information with you. QCBN
Tom Reilly, Architect
Sandy Griffis, Executive Director, Yavapai County Contractors Association. (928) 778-0040.
We have a delightful interview with Carrie Holmes and Warren Colvin on YCCA’s Hammer Time: www.ycca.org, click on our Hammer Time link. In fact, catch Hammer Time every Saturday and Sunday mornig KQNA 1130 am, 99.9 fm and 95.5 fm and the web kqna.com. Be entertained!
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