Braintree municipal licensing officials defend staffing increases, point to faster inspections and revenue gains

Municipal Licenses and Inspections officials told the Town of Braintree Ways and Means Committee on May 19 that filling vacant inspection positions and increasing certain salaries are intended to shorten inspection wait times, enable proactive code enforcement and recover permit and assessment revenue.

Officials said the department is relying on temporary “casual” employees and outside inspectors in some functions, which limits daytime inspection availability and delays building timelines for residents and contractors — a problem they said additional permanent staff would help solve.

Director McGrath told councilors the department has been “relying upon in part, casual employee to perform part of the inspection function,” and that those temporary staff often work evenings rather than preferred daytime slots. He said hiring a full-time inspector would increase available daytime appointments, allow more proactive enforcement of town bylaws and likely produce more timely property reassessments that increase tax rolls.

Why it matters: Councilors pressed for measurable outcomes tied to any new positions. They asked for specifics such as current average wait times for inspections, projected reductions in scheduling delays, and any expected dollar return from permit revenue and reassessments. Municipal officials said exact projections are difficult because the town has operated short-staffed for years, but stressed that more staff would yield faster service and the potential to capture currently unpermitted work that affects town tax assessments.

Weights and measures: Officials reviewed the town’s history assigning the sealer of weights and measures duties to the building inspector’s job description after budget cuts. Since February 2021 the town has used a part-time outside inspector. McGrath said inquiries to neighboring Norfolk County for outsourcing returned a possible cost of up to $32,000 annually. He also reported that, in the current fiscal year through February, expenditures for the outside inspector were about $2,805 while revenue recorded for weights-and-measures was $7,325.

Braintree Day and vendor permits: Health division staff said the department inspects and issues permits for food vendors at the annual Braintree Day celebration. For 2024, officials reported 22 food vendors: five temporary one-day permits (fee waived for nonprofits) bringing $250 in revenue and 17 mobile-unit vendors holding annual permits that generated $2,350. Two health inspectors staffed the event and received compensatory time, the department said.

Councilors’ requests and follow-ups: Councilors asked the department to provide — before the council’s May 27 town meeting or shortly thereafter — (1) current average inspection wait times by inspection type; (2) a clearer staffing plan showing duties for any new position (for example, whether a second building inspector would cover weights-and-measures); and (3) updated ADA transition-plan materials when available. McGrath said the ADA spreadsheet is being updated and requested the committee accept a current working copy as soon as it is ready.

What remains unresolved: The department did not provide quantified projections tying one new inspector to specific revenue gains or precise inspection-time reductions, saying the counterfactual is hard to prove after years of understaffing. Councilors signaled they would expect more concrete metrics as part of future callbacks or budget motions.

Ending: The Ways and Means Committee did not vote on staffing changes during the May 19 hearing; councilors asked for follow-up materials and signaled interest in standardized, metric-driven department goals in future budget cycles.