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Building department adds virtual inspections, hires certified inspector and budgets floodplain software
Summary
The building department described new remote video inspection (RVI) procedures averaging 60–80 uses per month, a recent hire of an experienced multi‑trade inspector for succession planning, and purchase of floodplain management software (Forerunner) to automate FEMA reporting and substantial‑damage tracking.
At the budget workshop the building department described operational changes and investments that city staff say improve permit turnaround and support succession planning.
Building leadership said a remote video inspection (RVI) program tied into the city’s existing online permitting portal is now in regular use; inspectors reported 60–80 RVI inspections per month, primarily for roof and air‑conditioning work. Staff said the RVI service costs the city about $20 per virtual inspection today (the program fee is currently absorbed by the department) and that the tool speeds approvals for work that otherwise would delay contractors and homeowners.
To strengthen succession planning, the department hired an experienced multi‑trade Building Inspector III; staff said that certification across structural, electrical, mechanical and plumbing is harder to recruit and that the new hire will help fill expected retirements. The department also commissioned a large‑format HP printer and moved a software purchase for floodplain management (Forerunner) into the FY26 capital requests. Staff said Forerunner supports FEMA required substantial‑improvement and substantial‑damage inspections and will allow staff to track final surveys, elevation certificates and other floodplain data that the city currently has no automated system to manage.
Staff said permit processing and plan review remains timely and online, and noted scanners and archival work are underway to remove paper from older files. No formal vote was taken; council members praised the RVI program and the succession hire and asked staff to provide future cost comparisons (RVI fee vs. inspector time/vehicle costs).
