By Don McIntosh
A remarkable coalition is converging around what might seem like a surprising cause: Saving the jobs of building inspectors and construction plan examiners at the City of Portland’s Bureau of Development Services (BDS). About 98% of BDS revenue comes from building permit fees, and those are down sharply since the pandemic began, prompting the bureau to plan for layoffs. As you might expect, unions representing the workers are appealing to Portland City Council to avert layoffs. But they’re being joined by building trades unions, construction contractor associations, developers, realtors, minority contractor groups, even the Portland Business Alliance.