A. The board may review and advise the mayor and council regarding the adoption of legal code amendments to state mandated and adopted codes.

B. The board may review and advise the mayor and council regarding the adoption or modification of permit fees charged by the division. The board may review citywide responsibilities and staffing requirements to afford effective, efficient and equitable permit processing, review and issuance and inspection processes.

C. The board may provide technical input and advice on appropriate and necessary capital improvement expenditures for the division, including industry perspective on technological innovation and customer access in permitting, inspection, and record retention.

D. The board may, upon the request of the mayor or council, provide assistance and recommendation to the city council or the division on technical matters relating to decisions and recommendations of the city council which involve city of Bellingham development standards or construction practices.

If such a request is made, the technical matters in question shall be described by the requestor and shall be submitted to the division, which shall transmit it, together with such additional information as the division deems appropriate, to the board not later than three days prior to the public meeting at which the matter will be considered by the board. The board shall hold a public meeting to consider the request within 14 days of the division’s receipt of the request; provided, that, except in the case of an emergency, the notice of the meeting shall be sent to the members, participants and anyone else who has requested notice, at least seven days prior to the meeting. The public meeting conducted by the board shall not be an open record hearing as defined in Chapter 36.70B RCW.

The board may make a recommendation to the city council or division regarding some or all of the issues submitted. If the board makes a recommendation, it shall be submitted to the division or council, as appropriate after the public meeting. The council or division may adopt, modify or reject such recommendation. If the matter is one that requires a city council decision, the recommendation of the board shall be transmitted to the council along with the recommendation of the division. [Ord. 2001-07-050].