WABO PRESIDENT’S REPORT - by Ray Cockerham, CBO
Dear Members,
The important work our committees have done this year regarding legislation, code development, educational advancements and our outreach effort to include new members are all worthy of recognition. We have been working on our liaison efforts as well, a special thank you to WABO's Outreach chair, Stacy Criswell and the numerous liaison volunteers. This year has been marked by continued progress in those outreach efforts, particularly with the Permit Technicians, the BIAW, and the Fire Marshals Association of Washington. WABO will remain focused on the strategic efforts to maintain communication with other industry organizations and will report anything that is pertinent to the membership.
A special thanks to all those who attended the summer meeting in Mukilteo at the Rose Hill Community Center. The location was spectacular and the meeting was made great by the participation of the membership. Our collaboration has created dialog and opportunities to learn regarding public safety, permitting processes, code changes, and efficiency. Together, we continue to work to enhance code compliance and elevate safety standards for our community and the State of Washington. Please take the time to read the committee reports.
If you haven’t joined a committee or are not sure where your interest lies, check out the WABO Volunteer Opportunities page on our website and consider joining a meeting to listen in, learn and if so inclined to participate. The dedication and involvement of our members and partners is nothing short of amazing and has helped WABO achieve many milestones through the years and committee members are still working on program development and enhancements. Let's continue this momentum “Back to basics and beyond” into the coming year.
At the meeting our membership has been recognizing our sponsors and partners, thank you again for your continued support and contributions. Our membership appreciates and benefits from your contributions at the meetings.
Please consider joining us in Chelan, WA on November 6-7, 2025.
Committee Reports
Technical Code Development Committee - Chair Micah Chappell, MBA, CBO
TCD discussed the ICC 2027 Committee Action Hearing #1 participation where our contingent was the largest group of code officials in attendance. TCD then went over some of our comments for the ICC 2027 Committee Action Hearing #2 taking place in Cleveland, OH. Scholarships are available to WABO members to attend the hearings with applications due by September 5.
TCD provided updated information on the 2024 WA Code adoption process and several of the proposals that had been submitted. WABO TCD has submitted proposals for single exit six-story multi-family residential, and multi=plex house up to six-unit structure being regulated by the Residential Code. TCD is actively participating in the special State Building Code Council Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for inclusion in the 2024 State code adoption. The SBCC is working through Group 2 Code change proposals with public comments for Group 1 due Sept. 11th, and Group 2 due Oct. 9th. Please access the SBCC website for further information.
TCD meeting schedule is posted on the WABO website in the Code Development link and we are always eager to have participants.
Lastly, TCD discussed the rulemaking for the SBCC on Dwelling Unit size and possible changes to the habitable space requirements to align with legislative guidance to allow smaller dwelling units. Please monitor the SBCC website for upcoming public comment meetings.
Micah
Outreach Committee - Stacy Criswell CBO, ACO
No Report.
Education Committee - Ryan Mumma, CBO, ACO
Your WABO Education Committee met during the Summer Business Meeting to determine class offerings for the 2026 Annual Education Institute. The committee discussed several general topics for the 20 class options over the five days of the Institute this coming March 16-20, 2026. We are planning to offer both commercial and residential code update topics covering Building, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, Existing Building and the WSEC, as well as offering courses for WASafe Building Safety Evaluators and entry level inspectors and Inspector Skills courses. The 2026 Annual Education Institute will be held an the Lynnwood Event Center and are excited to announce for 2027 WABO will be moving the event to the Muckleshoot Resort! If you are interested in participating in the WABO Education Committee, please reach out to the WABO office or contact Ryan directly at [email protected] or 425.452.4447.
Government Relations - Chair Tim Woodard, CBO, ACO
No report.
Emergency Management - Chair Quyen Thai, MCP, CBO, CFM,MPA
The WABO Emergency Management Committee has several important updates for our membership.
First, we’d like to remind everyone who has not yet registered for the WAsafe BSE training class to do so soon! The class will take place on Monday, August 18th, 2025, at the Tacoma Public Utilities main building auditorium. Thanks to the venue being offered at no cost, we’ve been able to reduce the registration fee to just $135!
Second, as a liaison with the Washington State Emergency Management Department Committee, I’m pleased to report that our annual report has been submitted to the Governor’s office. In this report, we have again requested continued support—not just financially, but also in consideration during the development of future legislation. Unfortunately, due to the current budget constraints facing Washington State, our primary goal remains to raise awareness of the seismic risks that affect all Washingtonians.
Third, many of you may have already heard that the City of Tacoma recently completed an Unreinforced Masonry (URM) survey in collaboration with the Washington State Emergency Management Division (EMD), Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup, and the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. We had an outstanding turnout, with 65 volunteers assisting in the field. We are now in the quality assurance phase, ensuring that all data points were accurately collected, with support from additional volunteers from Seattle, SEAC, and other jurisdictions.
In the meantime, Washington EMD will soon be coordinating new URM surveys with the City of Bainbridge Island and the City of Spokane. We're looking forward to continued great work from everyone involved!
Finally, we’re excited to announce that the WABO Emergency Management Committee has secured $1,600 in financial support from the WABO Financial Committee. This funding will help support the development of the BSE Coordinator’s Handbook, a project initiated by the WAsafe Steering Committee. A volunteer technical writer has generously offered their services at a very reasonable rate. We aim to have the handbook completed within the next year, so stay tuned for more updates!
Certification & Registration Committee - Brian Smith, CBO, ACO
No report.
Finance Committee - Chair Andie Lorenz, CBO, ACO
Andie provided the membership with an overview of WABO's 2024/2025 year end financials.
Accreditation Committee - James Tumelson, CBO, MCP, ACO
Membership was briefed on the Accreditation Committee’s recent efforts and achievements, particularly in connection with the two primary state funding sources from the Department of Commerce and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. These funding streams have supported enhanced oversight and strategic alignment of the Code Official Accreditation Program (COAP) with previously established learning objectives.
The committee has been actively engaging with strategic partner colleges to explore alignment opportunities with existing academic programs. These conversations aim to create potential pathways for COAP students.
Efforts are also underway to improve advertising and website functionality of the COAP program. These enhancements are part of a broader strategy to increase awareness and access of the program.
Specifically, COAP will be introduced at the upcoming Washington Association for Career and Technical Education (WA-ACTE) Summer Conference. Presenting at this event will help raise awareness of the program among Career and Technical Education (CTE) professionals and career counselors throughout the state, further leveraging the program’s visibility within the state's current education system and among existing career counselors.
The AC is looking to attract a new year instructor for the Code Official Accreditation Program (COAP). Concurrent enrollment in Years 1 and 2 remains attractive to many folks looking to accelerate program completion. There is still time to enroll in the upcoming fall cohort because registration is open, but space is limited.
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