The City of Port Angeles announces today a reorganization designed to improve internal coordination, communication, and the delivery of City projects and services. Transition planning is currently underway, with changes taking effect on September 21, 2026.
This change will bring the Public Works & Utilities, Community & Economic Development, and Information Technology departments closer together under a shared reporting structure, while providing added support to the specialized divisions and services that our community relies on.
“When it comes to City responsibilities, there is nothing more important than the services we provide to our customers and community members. It is imperative that those services are accountable, efficient, and of the quality that our community expects,” says City Manager Nathan A. West. “In just the last few years, we have seen major enhancements in our permitting outcomes. This restructure will ensure direct accountability and productivity for a larger array of City services.”
The reorganization implements objectives of the City Council-adopted Strategic Plan, which call for more efficient and transparent permitting. The City’s goals are to reduce internal barriers, strengthen teamwork, and better position departments to provide high-quality services to our community.
- The Public Works & Utilities Department will report directly to the Deputy City Manager. Public Works will join Community & Economic Development and Information Technology under this reporting structure to ensure greater alignment across the three departments and better support the City’s strategic goals.
- Some engineering roles will transition from Public Works to the Community & Economic Development Department. This will encourage stronger collaboration amongst technical employees to ensure higher quality outcomes on project and permit reviews.
- Technological roles currently in Public Works will join the Information Technology Department. This will align similar job functions to improve and innovate internal processes, support data security and citywide data governance.
- Other organizational changes will take place within Public Works & Utilities to improve communication efforts, support continuity of operations, and enhance both internal and external customer service.
“Since joining the City in 2024, I’ve been focused on how we can create greater sustainability and support for our staff,” says Public Works Director Scott Curtin. “Our team works incredibly hard to meet the needs of our community. This restructure will give them the capacity they need to continue to do great work.”
While reporting structures will change for some employees, there will be no impacts to citywide staffing levels authorized in the City’s budget.
What this means for our community:
One of the key goals of the reorganization is to further improve the permitting process.
Local governments from across the state are taking steps to streamline development and permit functions, as highlighted in a recent article by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC). Port Angeles has already implemented several of the measures identified in the article and continues to identify opportunities for process improvements.
“This type of reorganization is a growing trend as local jurisdictions look for ways to improve permitting processes, while safeguarding the environment and ensuring quality results for the development community,” says Community & Economic Development Manager Shannen Cartmel. “We are excited to take this additional step to better serve our residents and partners.”
In late September, residents and customers will notice enhancements at the City Hall permit counter, where development engineering, planning, and permitting staff will be permanently co-located.
In addition to more streamlined permit reviews, this change will improve the customer experience by providing greater in-person access to technical staff who can address complex permitting needs, like environmental reviews.
It will also help move economic development projects forward more quickly, with less internal back-and-forth between departments and closer coordination amongst staff.
“It is important that local builders can count on a fair and timely permitting process. Across the state, we are seeing streamlining within planning and public works teams by eliminating internal silos. The City is to be thanked for taking this critical step in transparency and efficiency,” says Kevin Russell, president of The Seamus Group Inc. and Kevin Russell Construction, and former president of the Building Industry Association of Washington and North Peninsula Builders Association.
“Safeguarding the environment must always be a top priority, ensuring transparency and consistency across City departments will be a welcome improvement,” says Colleen Robinson, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Clallam County.
“I really appreciate this move by the City. Clearer communication and faster permitting are critical to housing growth and economic development. Anything jurisdictions can do to support these efforts is a win,” says Amber Dewey, Executive Director of the North Peninsula Builders Association.
“Over the last few years, we’ve noticed significant improvements in the planning department at the City of Port Angeles. I’m optimistic that these newest improvements in Public Works will further expedite the permitting process,” says Colleen McAleer, Executive Director of the Clallam County Economic Development Council.
“Permitting and environmental review has a lot of moving pieces and navigating the process had been challenging. However, we have seen real improvements over the past few years. I’m encouraged that with more internal collaboration, we will see a process that is even more transparent and efficient,” says Wendy Sisk, Chief Executive Officer of Peninsula Behavioral Health.
The reorganization will take effect on September 21, with the transition taking place over the next several weeks. Residents should not experience any interruptions in service during this time.
We look forward to the benefits this new structure will bring to our teams and, ultimately, the community we serve.
