ATLANTIC, IOWA — Officials with Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) say they recently welcomed Allie Strauss to serve in a newly created position as Building Permits Technician. According to the organization, the role of Building Permits Tech had become vital to SWIPCO, in order to continue to provide high quality service to the public and its member communities as more cities utilize SWIPCO for building permits, rental inspections, and code enforcement.

The overall goal of the position is to allow inspectors to spend more time in the field while providing administrative support to city hall staff who are typically stretched thin. Adopting and enforcing modern building codes is becoming more common in Iowa as some funding and grant programs require it and communities in general look to protect and maintain their building stock.

Allie Strauss (Swipco photo)

Strauss carries experience from her previous role as an insurance quote specialist supervisor. She said “I’ve always been kind of a jack-of-all trades and I enjoy home repair projects. I also really enjoy research, and I felt this role would allow me to bring those things together.” Strauss said she found out about the position through social media and the ability to work in a hybrid environment was something that interested her. She said she had worked exclusively from home for three years and thought this would be a good change.

Allie resides in Elliott with her husband Trinton and their two daughters Austyn and Ana. In her free time Allie enjoys golf, bowling, hunting, reading, and working on home projects.

SWIPCO is an equal opportunity employer, provider, and lender.