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Councilors press building official on accessibility; official proposes evening hours and scheduling changes
Summary
Councilors raised resident concerns about the building official's daytime availability after the official took an additional job. The building official said he is accessible by phone and portal, plans weekly evening office hours and will standardize subcontractor schedules to improve inspections and in-person access.
On Sept. 4 the Glocester Town Council discussed concerns raised by residents about access to the town's building official. Councilors said some residents prefer face-to-face meetings and asked whether the official's second job had affected town service.
The building official (identified in the record as Dennis) told the council he has been reachable by phone and text throughout the workday, that clerks and liaisons contact him frequently about projects and that he plans to add an evening day (Wednesdays or Thursdays from about 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.) to provide scheduled face-to-face time for residents. He said much of his work is handled on the back end and by portal communications, but he acknowledged some people prefer in-person meetings and said he will make himself available weekly for that purpose. He also said he intends to tighten up subcontractor scheduling so town residents know when inspections will occur.
Councilors said they had not received complaints about the quality of inspections but had heard concerns about accessibility; several members said timely phone or portal responses and the planned evening appointments would address most issues. The council did not take formal action but the discussion ended with direction to continue monitoring service levels.
Next steps: building official to establish weekly evening availability and to standardize subcontractor schedules; councilors to monitor resident feedback.
