Moore Acres council adopts pay resolution to create combined building inspector and code‑enforcement post

Moore Acres — The city council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution establishing compensation for a combined building inspector and code‑enforcement officer, setting a starting salary of $65,000 and incremental pay increases tied to licensure.

The resolution, adopted at a special meeting, sets the base pay at $65,000 and provides an additional $2.40 per hour for each required license a hiree obtains; the position may include up to eight certifications, and the city said further details on caps were discussed during the meeting. The council also discussed enforcement timing: state rules allow a provisional license and generally give 12 months to obtain permanent licensure for inspectors and code officers.

The move responds to long‑standing staffing and pay issues tied to a 2008 pay survey and to the city’s current reliance on contract inspectors. “Everyone can look at that and see that we are way below everyone else for the most part,” the mayor said during the discussion, citing pay comparisons with nearby municipalities. Council members and staff said the combined position is intended to save money, increase enforcement capacity, and recover permit and fine revenue lost to unpermitted work.

Council discussion and supporting details

City staff explained the 2008 pay bands created after a class‑and‑compensation survey left no mechanism for a combined position, so the new resolution was needed to set pay for a role that was not previously contemplated. A staff member said the resolution was drafted without a multi‑step pay scale or annual raises because the city currently has a compensation freeze; any future citywide raises would require a later resolution.

Officials gave concrete examples of current outside costs: the Oklahoma Municipal Management Service contract billed the city $1,343 in May, $1,253 in June and $1,222 in July. The council also described two part‑time individuals the city uses: one paid $75 per hour (plus travel) and another paid $50 per hour who works limited hours and performs some weekend plan review. Council members said those arrangements require significant mayoral and staff time to coordinate inspections and appointments.

Council members raised hiring concerns given statewide shortages in licensed inspectors. “I put an ad out for a building inspector and I didn't get one applicant in two years,” former Oklahoma City building inspector David Adcock was quoted summarizing recent hiring challenges during the meeting. City staff said one applicant who has multiple residential licenses and is a licensed plumber and electrician has expressed interest and that the mayor could hire the applicant immediately if the council approved the resolution.

Enforcement, liability and oversight

Council members and staff discussed code enforcement workload — mowing abatements and citations — and noted there is only one city employee currently authorized to perform abatements. The City Attorney (staff member) highlighted liability concerns: the Governmental Tort Claims Act limits some claims against municipalities but explicitly preserves exposure tied to inspections, including negligent or nonperforming inspections. The staff member said the city has seen claims or allegations tied to inspection work in the past and urged attention to resources that would mitigate liability.

Several council members expressed concern about who will follow up on license verification and enforcement if the mayor changes, noting past lapses in oversight. The city’s employment policies were referenced as the governing procedures requiring employees to obtain and maintain licenses; the staff member said those policies include disciplinary grounds if an employee fails to obtain required licenses.

Vote and next steps

Councilmember (unnamed) moved to approve the ordinance/resolution as listed; a second was made and the roll call vote was unanimous (Councilmembers Morris, Mosswick, Fairchild, Myers, Smith, Evans and Douglas voted yes). Council members and staff said that with the resolution in place the mayor could proceed with hiring, subject to budget constraints; the mayor said he ‘‘could hire him tomorrow’’ if the vote passed.

Why this matters

The change is intended to reduce the city’s recurring contractor costs, increase time available for on‑site inspections and code enforcement, recover permit fees and fines from unpermitted work, and address past lapses in license verification. Officials emphasized that funding and staffing plans remain subject to the city’s budget and that some actions (such as creating duplicate positions) would require separate budget amendments before being filled.

What the council did not do

The council did not adopt a broader multi‑step pay scale, did not enact automatic annual raises in this resolution, and did not assign a different department to supervise the position; the resolution places the position under the mayor’s supervision as discussed in the meeting. The employment policies remain the operative standard for disciplinary action if required licenses are not obtained in the statutory/provisional timelines.