Braintree officials seek to boost building-inspection staff as large projects loom

Director Mary Beth McGrath, director of the Department of Municipal Licenses and Inspections, told the Town Council on May 7 that the department has shifted some line-item funding and is pursuing a reclassification to make inspector salaries more competitive.

The department’s staffing shortfall is longstanding. Russ Forsberg, building commissioner for the Town of Braintree, said the department has been operating with a single local inspector since 2022 and that the field is “very competitive” and aging. "We are in a, I won't call it a bidding war, but we are trying to be very competitive with other comparable communities," Forsberg said. He added that surrounding towns are facing the same shortage and that state certification requirements have narrowed the candidate pool.

Why it matters: McGrath and Forsberg told councilors the staffing gap constrains routine code-enforcement work — for example, proactive sweeps for unpermitted work and more timely follow-up on complaints — and could worsen as multiple large residential developments come online. Forsberg estimated the town typically has about 1,500 projects in various stages and said roughly eight major residential projects expected over the next three years could add about 1,400 units, heightening inspection demand.

Budget and reclassification: McGrath said additional funding to support an inspector reclassification was provided through the mayor’s office; she also described intra-department reallocations among nonpersonnel line items (office supplies, mileage, printing and postage) to balance this year’s budget. She emphasized those internal reallocations did not move money into personnel lines.

Operational impacts and priorities: Councilors pressed for clarity about what a filled inspector position would deliver. Forsberg and McGrath said a new inspector would allow the department to resume activities curtailed by limited staff, such as targeted code-enforcement sweeps, surveys for unpermitted work and faster inspection turnaround. They said the current workload forces staff to prioritize immediate inspection requests over proactive enforcement; resolving that, they said, likely would also recover permit revenue the town now misses when work goes unchecked.

Training and certifications: McGrath and Forsberg stressed the importance of continuing education for inspectors as codes change. Forsberg noted recent updates to the state building code and described monthly regional coordination and training with neighboring communities.

Related program notes: McGrath said the department includes health-code enforcement, plumbing and gas inspection, electrical inspection, a public health nurse, a substance use prevention coordinator and administrative staff. She confirmed the substance use prevention coordinator role has been filled from within the department and that a prior drug-free communities grant coordinator post is being refilled through the mayor’s office.

Zoning, ADUs and lithium-ion battery ordinance: Forsberg said the department has worked with the Fire Department on a proposed lithium-ion battery ordinance and spent roughly "five or six hours" researching approaches used elsewhere. On accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules, he warned of building-code implications for proposed state-level ADU language and said he had drafted amendments and shared them with the planning department and mayor’s office. Councilors expressed concern about mixing building-code technicalities into zoning language and asked whether the department had submitted comments to the state; Forsberg said he had not submitted comments to EOHLC at the state draft stage but had provided proposed amendments locally.

Fleet and inspections logistics: McGrath said the department operates three vehicles — two hybrids and one 2013 Ford Explorer — and that the Explorer is necessary for construction-site access.

Public-health and other enforcement work: McGrath described ongoing work with the Attorney General’s Office neighborhood renewal function to bring vacant properties back into use; she said several properties have been placed into receivership and that court-directed outcomes vary case by case. The council also heard that the immunization revolving account funds clinic activity (flu clinics, vaccination billing) and supports tobacco-control efforts and public-health outreach; Clerk Cimito noted the fund is supported by vaccine billing to insurers and Medicare.

What happens next: Councilors asked for clearer, measurable goals tied to added staffing (for example, expected inspection turnaround times or hours devoted to enforcement), and several members urged the department to return with more concrete metrics that show what additional staff would deliver to residents.