Island County commissioners want to hear what’s getting local builders’ knickers in a knot when it comes to the permitting process.

The three county commissioners are holding a “listening session” with professionals in the building and development industry at 4-6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18 in the commissioners’ hearing room in Coupeville.

The meeting will be on Zoom. People can watch through a link on the county’s website, islandcountywa.gov.

The purpose of the session is for elected officials and other county officials to gain a better understanding of the challenges associated with the process.

The meeting will be facilitated. Speakers are pre-selected from the building, septic and permitting agent industries “to ensure that the board has adequate time to hear concerns and ask relevant clarifying questions,” according to the county.

County staff will be in attendance, but only to listen.

Commissioner Jill Johnson said the wait times for permits appear to be consistent, but complaints are increasing for an unclear reason. As a result, the board decided they wanted to hear about what the issues are from the proverbial horse’s mouth.

County commissioners have been monitoring the time it takes for development-related permits to get through the three main departments involved in the process. Commissioner Jill Johnson originally asked for the department heads to give monthly updates during public meetings about how long permits are taking, but now the board receives monthly written reports from the county administrator.