Wasco County Commissioners decided Wednesday to have the County take responsibility for building codes services, rather than leave it to the state. Commissioners made the decision after a number of weeks of discussions, trying to weigh the benefits of keeping the service local after state officials indicated they would not guarantee an office in The Dalles with the cost of starting and maintaining the service. Commissioner Scott Hege says contractors told them the current temporary arrangement with the state after the dissolution of the Mid-Columbia Council of Governments was not working for them. Hege noted financial figures show that over the last six years, average annual Wasco County building code revenue was $900,000, even though the numbers varied greatly from year to year. Hege says the program will have to be developed that can live within that budget. Disbursement of the approximately $4,000,000 in reserve funds from MCCOG’s building codes program between Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties still must be worked out. Hege said a timeline for when Wasco County would start handling building codes also has to be developed.