County gathering planning dept. complaints

Since the town meeting in April when members of the community aired grievances to the Kootenai County commissioners about issues with the county Building and Planning Department, the officials are starting to take action.

So far the commissioners have been collecting complaints about the department that allots land-use permits, and they are asking the department to provide a report on its performance,  Commissioner Rick Currie said last week.

Bill Johnson, member and former president of NIBCA, said members of the construction industry are still willing to wait and see what happens, but there will be public outcry if improvements aren't seen in the department's efficiency. - Alecia Warren