Building official duties will be handled by an outside company in Langley after years of having a staff building official.

BHC Consultants were awarded the contract after the city council unanimously approved it, 5-0, on Monday night.

The contract is for building code services with a proposed start of 10 hours per week at a rate of $75 per hour. On-site hours may change once the BHC representative becomes familiar with Langley’s codes and permit processes.

Initial review of building plans can take up to 10 days, with a re-review period of five days for single-family residences. Multi-family projects have a review timeframe of 15 days and re-review of 10 days. Commercial projects have an initial review period of 20 days with re-review up to 15 days.

BHC, based in Seattle, was selected among three firms that “stood out,” according to a memo from Mayor Fred McCarthy to Langley City Council. The building inspection consulting company began reviewing Langley codes Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Jeff Arango, Langley’s planning director, said it’s likely that the firm’s current $750 per week cost will decrease in winter when construction slows.

“I think over time it will be a good value to the city and potentially save us money,” he said.

The agreement is an at-will contract, which allows Langley to terminate the deal whenever the city chooses. Arango said the week the city was without a building inspector did not create a backlog for inspections.