Jefferson County’s Department of Community Development will undergo a comprehensive restructuring starting in June, county officials have announced.

The restructuring includes the shifting of the department’s leadership into new roles and comes amid significant turnover in DCD.

Current Director Brent A. Butler will become the chief strategy officer, while Deputy Director Josh Peters will become the department’s director.

In an announcement of the changes, the county praised Butler’s years of service.

“Brent has been and will continue to be an invaluable asset to the Department and the County as a whole, and we are grateful for his dedicated service,” said Jefferson County Administrator Mark McCauley.

“This restructuring represents what we believe to be the best response to the perfect storm we are facing in our community development department, including significant staff turnover during transition to an entirely new software system,” McCauley added.

McCauley said a multi-pronged effort was underway to get significant work accomplished.

“We’re reorganizing the department, expanding our recruitment efforts, and working to reduce staff turnover. Efforts are also underway to streamline processes and make the department more efficient,” he said.

County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said multiple demands on the county prompted the need for someone in the department to focus on strategy, now and in the future.

“The county has much important work ahead such as making affordable housing more available, effectively managing the intensive permitting and building needs of our community, and developing and implementing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan that is mindful of the Wildland Urban Interface. All this combined with the concurrent work on the County Strategic Plan shows us how important the work is that DCD performs,” Eisenhour said. 

“It is vital that the team be able to focus on the current needs of the community, yet also build for the future,” she added. “By having Brent in the role of chief strategy officer, we will be able to focus on both. It’s an exciting time.”

“I’m excited to be able to focus on some very important and incredibly necessary county projects,” Butler said.

Those projects include a new look at the county’s policy on short-term rentals, updating zoning in the Irondale and Port Hadlock Urban Growth Area in light of upcoming sewer service, and the implementation of the State Building Council’s new Wildland Urban Interface code while developing an inspection program for commercial properties with a related fee schedule.

Peters, who joined the department last June, will be promoted to the director role effective June 1.

He had previously worked for the county in the Department of Community Development from 2000 to 2006, then with the Department of Public Works until 2013.