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Howard County inspections, licenses and permits holds steady budget; eyes on vacant positions and online permitting
Summary
Director Bob Francis briefed the Council on the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) FY26 operating request, highlighting small budget growth, cost savings from contractual changes, new online services and concerns about three frozen positions that could slow plan review and inspections.
Bob Francis, director of Howard County's Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits, told the County Council at a fiscal year 2026 budget work session that his department's operating request for FY26 increased by 2.04% from FY25 and includes no new funding requests for new programs.
Francis said DILP saved the county about $350,000 annually by ending a legacy transaction-fee arrangement with its credit card processor and by terminating maintenance contracts on an end-of-life data system. The department is testing and rolling out several online tools: a text/IVR inspection scheduler, a commercial mechanical HVAC permitting program, planned online…
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