Progress Made With Calaveras Building Department

San Andreas, CA — During an update to the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors, it was reported that the Building Department is working hard to resolve some issues that were brought to light during a recent audit.

The board held a study session with Community Development Agency Director Stephanie Moreno Tuesday. Moreno began as director last May and is the one who initiated the department´s audit.

A sneak peak at the audit in January revealed inconsistent implementation of the building code.

Moreno says the final audit will be complete April 1, which is when she will come back to the board with a list of recommendations to resolve the issues.

In the meantime, Moreno explained to builders in the audience, that perceived changes taking place in the department have only been her instructing staff to adhere to current building codes.

Some changes that could take place after the audit include bringing all plan checking in house. Currently plans are sent to companies outside of the county for plan check services. Also, a checklist could be developed for developers so they know what the county expects of them and an engineer might be hired.

Another component of the study session was to get direction from the board on whether the setback ordinance needs to be tweaked. There is some confusion regarding setbacks for propane tanks, septic systems and wells. The board instructed staff to come back with those changes.

Written by Vanessa Turner.