Town will hire permit tech

La Conner Town Council approved a job description for a Town Permit Technician during their August 9 hybrid meeting.

This position will restructure the clerical and administrative assistant position formerly held by Danielle Freiberger, who took a job with the City of Mount Vernon.

The new post’s pay scale will bump up to $48,000 annually and is designed to provide support to the planning department based on job parameters crafted by staff and administrator Scott Thomas.

“The new permit technician would focus more on planning than the hodge-podge we’ve seen in the past,” Thomas explained. “We’re looking for someone with something of a planning background. I think it would be more efficient that way.”

Thomas projects a great uptick in “planning activity,” likely a reference to the current various development projects.

The salary hike, meanwhile, addresses inflation and may limit future loss of personnel, Thomas said.

“It’s important to us to retain our employees,” he said. “We spend a lot of time and money replacing employees.”

Thomas is hopeful that a candidate selection process will be in place by the end of the month.

In other business, Councilmember Ivan Carlson lamented that speeding traffic continues to plague Maple Avenue despite installation last year of digital signs intended to slow down motorists. He offered use of his Maple Avenue driveway to the sheriff’s office traffic patrol.

During public comments, Linda Talman asked how many council members had reviewed her most recent letter pertaining to the Center Street apartment complex issue. Leslie Smith noted that she, too, is paying close attention to the matter.

Dan O’Donnell said he had discovered a significant error in the computation of the sewer rate assigned to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and asked that it be resolved.

The council did not respond to those comments. Mayor Ramon Hayes invited townspeople to write him and/or staff to receive detailed responses to their questions and concerns.