Building code bulletin: It's OK. Really.
Maybe folks should be careful quoting scripture to enumerate the wickedness of codes. There’s a pretty famous code book, after all, that sets guidelines for Christian belief and behavior.
That was far from the only irony on display Monday night during the county’s public hearing on building codes, when the session became something of a California bash fest — led by former Californians, of course.
“It was really a new low in local politics,” one attendee told The Press. “It reminded me of a mini-McCarthyism rally.”
What some people eventually hailed as a victory for freedom and others declared an asinine act in full public view, Kootenai County’s Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 against routine, updated building codes and instead chose a path that will allow anyone to opt out of following those codes on residential and accessory structures in the county. Commissioner Chris Fillios voted alone in wanting to maintain status quo; Commissioners Bob Bingham and Marc Eberlein went with the opt-out.
This decision, which flies in the face of what most experts in the building industry and related fields recommend, isn’t the end of life as we know it. Nor is it a clarion call heralding the rollback of intrusive government in your back yard. It is an anomaly that bears watching.
When your heart has stopped racing, consider:
- The new approach affects just properties within the county, not within cities. That means about 70 percent of the population can shrug shoulders and stifle yawns.
- Buyer Beware. That’s not a new term to any of you. You might simply dust it off if you decide to purchase property in the county that was built or “improved” under any new non-rules.
- There is a chance that some of these new or improved structures will be better and safer than others on the market. Most buyers will need to make sure they have proven professionals helping them choose wisely.
- Similarly, if somehow the new process improves permitting efficiencies and lowers costs without leading to a new generation of rural slums, that should be duly noted.
But no matter what, ladies and gentlemen, those celebrating victory and those lamenting defeat should keep this in mind:
- The two men who voted for the opt-out building code policy, Bingham and Eberlein, are at this very moment seeking re-election. If you think they voted wisely, you can do your best to ensure they keep making similar policy. If you disagree with them, cast a vote to toss them out.
And 10 months from now, a new Kootenai County Board of Commissioners can chart its own building code course.