Marty Snell has abruptly resigned as Clark County’s director of Community Development, a county department that oversees licensing and code enforcement as well as the troubled Permit Center.
Interim County Manager Jim Rumpeltes said in an email that Snell submitted his resignation effective Friday, “to pursue other opportunities.”
“The County is in the process of determining an Interim Director with an anticipated announcement early next week,” said Rumpeltes. “We thank him for his dedicated service to Clark County.”
Snell, who has worked for the county since 2005 after working for the cities of Camas and Washougal, could not be reached for comment.
Snell’s departure from the county comes a month after Citygate Associates, a consulting firm, released a report highly critical of the county Permit Center. The report described dysfunction in the center that it partially blamed on intervention from county councilors on behalf of customers with stalled permits. The report included complaints from customers and stakeholders who called its operations unpredictable and inconsistent.
In April, Snell submitted to Rumpeltes a work plan outlining how his department would implement the report’s recommendations. The work plan, obtained through a public records request, designates either Snell or Rumpeltes (who is expected to step down in coming months after a permanent manager is hired) as leads for many of its recommendations.
When asked if he was worried that changes in management would affect the implementation of the report’s recommendations, Rumpeltes said, “a team approach with all employees across multiple departments will be used to implement the changes.”
“I also expect a smooth transition in both the County Manager and Director of Community Development positions,” he said.
In a statement, Avaly Scarpelli, executive director of the Building Industry Association of Clark County, said her group was “extremely disappointed to learn” of Snell’s departure from the county. She called Snell a “reliable, resilient partner” with her group and the building community on various issues, such as land-use, regulations, permitting and others. She also praised his work guiding the department through the tough times during and after the recession.
