Summer Business Meeting

Richland, WA

July 16-17, 2026

WABO PRESIDENT’S REPORT – by Todd Blevins, CBO

Well, if you missed attending the summer meeting in Richland you missed a HOT one and I do mean hot! The air conditioning went out and the smoke was thick. Welcome to Eastern Washington! In spite of the temp, we had a great meeting. This was the last in person summer meeting, we will be virtual next summer. This was due to low attendance and scheduling issues.

The code forum had some interesting discussions, and committee reports were informative. We had three ICC reports from Brian Imai, our Government Relations Regional Manager. David Spenser, ICC Past President and Andy Higgins, ICC Director At Large. Andy is running for reelection and has been endorsed by WABO, so if you are going to the 2026 ICC ABM in Nashville, please support one of our own, I know he would appreciate it.

As of late, WABO has been busy with vetting of ICC Board candidates in cooperation with WPLBO (Western Pacific League of Building Officials) Three board members (myself. Angela Haupt -1^st VP and Kurt Aldworth – Past President) attended an in person meeting with representatives from California, Nevada, and California Fire Prevention Officers. It is always interesting to meet these candidates and hear directly from them. All the board positions are being run unopposed, and it looks like a great group for our future at ICC.

WABO also was part of a joint work group for the Spokane area Old Trails Wildfire-Resilient Rebuild Pilot. This brought together some key stake holders representing the City of Spokane, Dept. of Natural Resources, the State Building Code Council, the Office of Insurance Commissioners, multiple fire services, insurance agencies, and WABO. An informative tour and discussion were had and hosted by City of Spokane. The intent of the meeting was to determine if the recovery of this horrible incident can serve as a practical pilot for other jurisdictions across the state. This group will continue to meet and analyze ways to protect future homes and streamline rebuilding after an event.

I hope to see many of you at the fall business meeting Oct. 29-30 in Spokane, so if you haven’t registered yet, DO IT!

Committee Reports

Technical Code Development Committee – Chair Micah Chappell, MBA, CBO – City of Seattle & Co-Chair Jon Siu, PE

Technical Code Development Committee (TCD) discussed the ICC 2027 Codes and went over our participation statistics with an 84% success rate for the proposed changes. We conducted a survey of the summer business meeting participants on the use of the TCD voting guide and requested feedback on possible ways of improvement. We would be grateful to hear from other members that may have used the voting guide.

TCD announced that ICC has redesigned cdpACCESS platform to enhance the usability and organization of the website. This redesign will be useful as TCD kicks off the ICC 2030 code development cycle on 8/31. The TCD meeting schedule through end of 2026 is posted on the WABO website, and if you would like to be on the list to receive updates during the process, please let us know at [email protected].

The ICC Group A schedule is:

Code change submittal deadline: January 12, 2027
CAH 1: April 13-22, 2027 (Dallas/Frisco, TX)
CAH 2 comment submittal deadline: July 8, 2027
CAH 2 : Sept 15-22, 2027 (Reno, NV)
Group A PC submittal deadline: March 28, 2028

Additionally, TCD provided information on the SBCC public comment process that is ongoing for the conclusion of the 2024 WA-Custom Codes. There are currently two public hearings (Aug 5th & 7th), scheduled for the WA Energy Code proposed changes. The SBCC is also holding regular work sessions to incorporate revisions based on the public comments received for the IBC/IRC, and others, including embodied carbon, multiplex housing, and single exit R-2 occupancies.

TCD encourages WABO member participation with the SBCC and ICC as they continue developing the next series of codes. Please provide any questions to [email protected].

Certification & Registration Committee – Chair Brian Smith, CBO, ACO

The C&R Committee continues its search for a technical consultant to replace Jay Ponce and support several of WABO’s certification programs. The Request for Proposals (RFP) remains posted on the WABO website homepage for anyone interested in learning more. The WABO office has received several inquiries about the WSEC Plans Examiner Program, although applications have not yet been received. Additional information about the program, including eligibility requirements and application materials, is available on the WABO website homepage.

Government Relations – Chair Tim Woodard, CBO, ACO

An update was provided at the summer business meeting including information on the Risk / Hazard Mapping release date from DNR will currently be released in December of this year. Based on current legislation, upon the release of this mapping there are requirements to enforce RCW 19.27.560 technical provisions. WABO is working with several stakeholders to delay the mapping until after the legislative cycle where we hope to make changes to the current requirements. More information should be available at the fall business meeting in Spokane.

Additional updates were provided about the legislative desire to continue to promote the adoption of a performance code and embodied carbon provisions.

Education Committee – Ryan Mumma, CBO, ACO

The course schedule for the 2027 Annual Education Institute has been finalized and we are in the process of getting agreements completed for all instructors. Also, a reminder that the 2027 AEI has moved to meeting facilities at the Muckleshoot Resort and Conference Center in Auburn. The 2027 Annual Education Institute will be held March 15-18, 2027 and registration will open in January 2027. 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.

Finance Committee – Chair Andie Lorenz, CBO, ACO

Andie provided the membership with an overview of WABO’s 2025/2026 3rd year end financials.

Outreach Committee – Chair Ted Corey, CBO

I took over as the Outreach Committee chair in April this year. I’ve really appreciated how supportive and collaborative this organization is. It’s been a great environment to learn from and contribute to. I want to thank all those who have welcomed me and I look forward to continued service to the organization.

We welcomed one new first timer at this last meeting and it was great to have her there.

The committee’s work in the last quarter has been a continuation of past projects and has focused on member feedback to understand how the membership can be better served.

The committee created a flyer to promote the Washington State Energy Code Plans Examiner Program (WSEC‑PEP) and shared it with our membership as well as other relevant regional organizations. Since distributing the flyer, we’ve noticed increased interest in the program.

A survey was handed out at the meeting for attending members. That survey was designed to facilitate the membership in providing feedback on the meeting, the venue and provide insight into what they feel is important for WABO to be doing. The surveys will be provided at future businesses meetings, and the results will be used to determine how WABO can better serve the membership.

In the next few months, the committee will work on a letter to be sent to jurisdictions highlighting the benefits of WABO membership, continue the building safety month proclamation efforts from earlier in the year, updating the “What is a Building Official” document and continuing to explore ways to help WABO serve its members.

Emergency Management Committee – Chair Quyen Thai, CBO, MCP

WABO Emergency Management extends our gratitude to the WAsafe Steering Committee and the City of Seattle (special thanks to Elenka Jarolimek) for hosting the WAsafe Building Safety Evaluator “Train the Trainer” course on June 1st at the Seattle Municipal Tower.

We’d also like to extend a warm thank you to our presenters: Jon Siu, Paul Brallier, and Joyce Lem. We had a fantastic turnout from across Washington State—including attendees traveling all the way from the Hanford site in Eastern Washington! Please enjoy a few photos from the event below. If you’re interested in participating as a trainer for the WAsafe Building Safety Evaluator program, please reach out to Tara Jenkins or Quyen Thai.

Looking ahead, we are exploring opportunities to participate in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) 2027 Annual Business Meeting in Bellevue. Whether by hosting another BSE class or staffing a booth to highlight WABO Emergency and WAsafe, we hope to showcase how members can get involved. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact the WABO office!

Finally, our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the recent magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture. Tragically, lives have been lost and communities deeply affected. Events like this serve as a stark reminder of why it is so crucial for code officials to be trained and ready to deploy as volunteer Building Safety Evaluators when a disaster hits our region.

Accreditation Committee – Chair James Tumelson, CBO, MCP, ACO

The Accreditation Committee reported that a new Code Official Accreditation Program website was launched to enhance the customer experience. This will provide a one-stop shop for everything related to the program from the instructional calendar, curriculum outline, scholarship opportunities, class enrollment and other student resources.

The program’s Learning Management System (LSM) called canvas versions was severely impacted by a massive security incident, our version of canvas has been discontinued. After many painstaking hours and extensive curriculum recovery from the WABO office, the program had to pivot to a new LSM called Master Study.

Program enrollment is open now with classes being on September 8^th, 2026. Scholarship opportunities are available and due to class sizes being limited it’s encouraged to enroll early!