Warr Acres approves OMMS contract for contract inspection services amid backlog

Warr Acres City Council approved a fee-for-service contract with OMMS for contract inspection services after a debate about a growing backlog of building inspections, the use of remote inspections and liability concerns.

City staff and council members said the contract is intended as short-term relief while the city addresses an immediate backlog of permit requests, including roughly 59 pending inspections in the Cherokee Crossing subdivision. Staff reported OMMS charges an inspection rate of about $75 per hour, reimburses mileage at the standard government/IRS rate (discussed in the meeting as about $0.70 per mile) and bills for travel time; travel to Warr Acres from Tulsa was estimated to require about three hours round trip.

Council members and staff described two inspection modes OMMS offers: in-person inspections and a remote option in which a city employee or homeowner walks an OMMS inspector through a property using a smartphone video call. Several council members expressed skepticism about the ability of remote inspections to capture required details on site. City staff described the remote option as a way to provide at least some inspections for very small communities that cannot afford or cannot immediately hire a full-time inspector.

The discussion reviewed staffing constraints and options for short-term help. Staff said OMMS indicated they could possibly place an inspector quickly — potentially within days if the council approved the contract — and that the OMMS program is structured as a pay-as-you-go, fee-for-service model: if the city does not use inspections in a given month, it does not pay a retainer.

Liability and legal limits on local authority were key concerns. The city attorney advised that both OMMS and the city are subject to the Oklahoma Tort Claims Act for inspection-related liability, and council members cited a past local case in which an approved footing had to be removed after an error. Those concerns informed requests that the contract remain non-exclusive and be used primarily as a short-term or overflow resource.

Council members also raised the topic of permit fees. Staff acknowledged current permit fees often do not recoup inspection costs; examples given during the meeting included some permit fees of roughly $125 and an anecdote about a $270 air‑conditioning permit in another state. Council members directed staff to study permit-fee schedules for comparable municipalities as a separate follow-up item.

Motion and vote: A council motion to approve the contract with OMMS passed unanimously. The meeting record shows the motion was moved by Judy and seconded (second made on the record but the seconding member’s name was not specified in the audio transcript). Roll call recorded affirmative votes by Myers, Morris, (name recorded as) El Moussaouille, Worley, Fairchild, Schmidt, Evans, Mayer and Maher. The motion’s outcome was recorded as approved.

Next steps noted in the meeting included: signing the fee-for-service contract so OMMS can schedule inspectors as needed; staff preparing a comparative study of local permit fees and a potential future agenda item to consider fee adjustments; and continuing discussions with neighboring municipalities about nonexclusive sharing or temporary borrowing of inspection staff.

Votes at a glance: - Motion: Approve contract with OMMS for contract inspection services (fee-for-service; non-exclusive). Mover: Judy. Second: not specified on audio. Outcome: approved (roll call recorded as unanimous; tally: 9 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain). Notes: $75/hour inspection rate discussed; mileage and travel time to be billed at government standard; contract described as fee-for-service with no retainer required for months without inspections.

Ending: The council characterized the OMMS contract as a short-term “backup” to address immediate demand while the city pursues longer-term staffing and fee adjustments. Staff will return with fee comparisons and any recommended ordinance changes.