The offer to combine Port Townsend city and Jefferson County building departments became official Monday in a letter authored by county commissioners.
The city and county have already agreed to hire a joint building official, and commissioners say they see combining the two departments as a logical next step.
“The stars seemed to be lined up,” Commissioner Pat Rodgers, R-Brinnon, said.
“Let’s take a good look at this to see if we can make it happen.”
The idea of combining services — and even governments — first surfaced in mid-April as the commissioners and City Council members talk about Health Department funding.
Rodgers and Commissioner Dan Titterness, R-Port Townsend, raised the idea of forming a metropolitan government — essentially combining county and city governments.
“If we were two businesses we would be talking about merger,” Rodgers said at the time.
“That’s because we would be looking at what is best for our two businesses.”