City staff introduce resolution to increase contract for building permit services amid recruitment

Community Development Director Mark Hoffman introduced a proposed resolution to amend the city’s contract with an outside building‑services firm, asking to raise the contract cap from about $30,000 to $120,000 and extend the agreement through March 31, 2026, while the city continues recruiting a permanent building official.

Hoffman said the city’s prior contractor—under contract since the late 1990s—gave 30 days’ notice after losing bandwidth, and the city engaged another firm to maintain plan review, inspections and code interpretations. “This proposed resolution continues services for building by reviews, inspections, interpretations, and so forth,” Hoffman said.

Why it matters: the consultant covers daily plan reviews and inspections the city cannot safely perform in house until it fills the certified building official post. Hoffman told councilmembers the city has made multiple recruitment efforts and extended two offers that were not accepted; the consulting contract is intended as an interim measure to avoid inspection delays and safety risks.

Details and discussion

Hoffman said the current consultant arrangement was approaching the existing $30,000 not‑to‑exceed limit and that staff propose increasing the limit to $120,000 under the current hourly/rate schedule. “We’ve had several qualified candidates, but we have not filled the position,” he said, describing the amendment as a way to preserve service while recruitment continues.

Councilmembers asked about the recruitment timeline and procurement approach. Hoffman said recruitment remains active and that staff have made multiple recruitment pushes; he described the vendor selection for the interim services as an expedited, phone‑and‑email outreach after the prior vendor’s short notice rather than a full RFQ. “When BHC gave us the 30 day notice, there’s a little bit panic,” he said, adding that staff checked other firms and relied on professional recommendations.

Council members also compared the consultant cost to hiring a permanent in‑house official. A councilmember asked for a salary comparison; Hoffman estimated a certified building official would be a six‑figure position with benefits, and said that, for the short term, consultant services could be less costly. He cautioned that a permanent in‑house official offers different service availability and local institutional knowledge.

Formal action and next steps

Hoffman described the resolution as an introduction at the workshop; staff provided attachments to the agenda and said they expect to bring the amendment back for formal council action. No formal vote on the resolution was taken at the work session.

Votes at a glance

- Adopt agenda — approved at start of the work session (moved and seconded; tally recorded in the transcript as yes: 2, abstain: 1). This was a procedural vote taken before substantive discussion.

Ending

Staff said they will continue recruitment and return with the contract amendment for council action at a future meeting. The proposed amendment would keep the consultant rates unchanged while raising the not‑to‑exceed ceiling and extending the contract end date to allow uninterrupted permit reviews and inspections.