Mount Vernon building department seeks 6‑month limit on dormant applications; retroactive NISBAC payment on agenda

The Mount Vernon City Council reviewed a pair of building-department items on the agenda: an ordinance proposing a six-month time limit for applicants to respond to plan-examiner reports (to archive dormant applications) and a request for a retroactive payment to cover a missed NISBAC training registration for a code-enforcement official.

Deputy Commissioner Heidi Momak (identified in the transcript as the building department deputy commissioner) explained the proposed six-month rule: when the building department issues a plan-examiner report listing missing documents, applicants would have six months to supply the missing items; otherwise the department would archive the application. She said the rule was intended to reduce cases where applications remain inactive for a year or longer. Momak said other municipalities, including Yonkers and Hempstead, use similar time limits.

Momak also said the retroactive payment request was necessary because one person had been omitted from the original training registration; her certification depends on completion of the NISBAC training and without payment and registration the individual’s stamp and licensing would not be valid for another six months. Council members pressed why the matter had taken several months to return to the council; Momak said the county notified the city at the beginning of the month and provided the required documentation in June.

Council members expressed concern about penalizing applicants when the delay results from department error. A council member said she does not vote for retroactive amendments routinely and asked why the department took four months to bring the item back; Momak attributed the delay to receiving the missing invoice and documentation in June.

No formal vote was recorded at the work session; the ordinance and the retroactive payment request remained on the council agenda.

Why it matters: The six-month rule would change application handling and could affect developers and homeowners who pause work or delay paperwork. The retroactive payment affects a code official’s ability to stamp permits.

What’s next: The items remain on the agenda for formal consideration; the building department was asked to ensure the policy accounts for department-caused delays so applicants are not unfairly penalized.