Brigham City staff propose hiring second building inspector; Perry City to fund portion under proposed contract

Brigham City staff presented a proposal to add a full-time building inspector and to enter a service agreement with neighboring Perry City under which Perry would cover a portion of the position’s cost.

The proposal came during a council work session where staff said Perry has offered to pay roughly 45% of a fully burdened annual salary estimated at $135,000, which staff said translates to about $60,750. Staff told the council Brigham’s share would be about $74,250 after accounting for the Perry contribution and other offsets.

City presenters said the current building inspector has repeatedly flagged the need for more help and that the city has already cross‑trained a public‑works inspector who has obtained most required certifications (leaving only plan‑review certification outstanding). Tracy Halliday, identified in the meeting as Brigham City’s chief building official, confirmed staff have been preparing an internal candidate for promotion and have conducted interviews for additional inspectors.

Staff described Perry’s prior contractor as logging about 500 inspection hours per year in Perry, and noted a full‑time position represents roughly 2,000 hours. Under that workload estimate, staff said the time spent working in Perry would approximate the share Perry proposed to fund. The city also noted existing interlocal contracts with Perry for fire, EMS and the fire marshal and called the inspector partnership an extension of those service collaborations.

Council members asked whether building‑permit receipts would cover Brigham’s share. Staff said the mayor’s budget already assumes higher building‑permit revenue and that historical permit volume this year is forecast near $500,000; staff said permit fees may be adjusted later if actual costs are not covered and that would avoid a general‑fund impact. Staff also said the hire would convert existing overtime to regular salary for some hours and improve service capacity as local construction activity grows.

No formal action or vote on the proposed hire or the Perry agreement was recorded in the session. Staff asked whether council members had questions or preferred alternatives, and several council members expressed support for the 2nd inspector as a way to reduce overtime and meet projected workload.

The council was given the option to proceed by including the position and anticipated revenue changes in the tentative budget scheduled for adoption next week, at which time the city will publish the proposed tax and budget notices required by truth‑in‑taxation procedures.